Across the Universe
by mangotango15
Summary: *Takes place after "And Straight on Till Morning"* They came together for the sole purpose of rescuing Henry, but will the alliance stay together until the end? Is there an escape in reach? rated T, possible change, but highly doubtful
1. Realization

Chapter 1: Realization

Emma:

She was too nervous to open her eyes, but she did so anyways. She was taken away by the sight that played before her eyes. All she saw was a dark sky resting above an intimidating island that seemed to shine in the complete darkness. There were no stars; there was only a single moon. The waters were calm, only too calm. The _Jolly Roger_ seemed to be the only ship in the water, but it was so dark that Emma could only see a couple yards of ocean water.

"This is Neverland?" Emma asked out loud. "I thought Neverland was a happy place, where the fairies lived, and Peter Pan and…the Lost Boys."

"Well, love, you were told wrong because Neverland, well, it's the complete opposite," Hook turned to look at her.

"What about Peter Pan? Surely, he's got to be around somewhere," Emma couldn't believe what she was hearing.

"Peter Pan is someone you don't want to run into dearie," Gold stated.

"What if something happens, we can get out of here, right?" Mary Margaret came over and joined in on the conversation.

"That may be a problem," Hook sighed. "Peter Pan and the Lost Ones are the only ones that know how to get out of this wretched place. Why do you think it took me so long to get out of here?"

There was a long pause.

"How exactly do we get out of Neverland?" Emma asked, looking at both Hook and Gold.

"Emma Swan, love, you came running to me, hoping I would help you find your son. And, here I am, offering my ship to people that utterly despise me. I even allowed a man on my ship that wants nothing but to kill me," Hook was heating up. He stomped over and stopped only inches from Emma's face. He brought his voice down, but clear enough to make his point. "Let's not worry about that right now, and let's just focus on finding Henry."

Hook walked away, over to the helm and focused on the sailing. He left the five standing quietly on the main deck.

"He's right," Emma finally spoke, breaking the tension. "We need to focus on finding Henry, Tamara, and Greg."

"How long do you think it'll take to search the whole island?" David came over.

"It could take a while," Gold admitted. "It took me almost six months just to get halfway around without getting caught."

Emma couldn't help but groan. "What do you mean by 'getting caught'?"

"The Lost Ones can walk the entire island in a day, even if they're eyes were closed, dearie. It's nearly impossible to hide on the island."

"You said that nothing can be hidden?" David looked pointedly at Gold.

"That's exactly what I said."

"That means Henry can be easily spotted, out in the open."

"Yes, but that just makes everything easier for the Lost Ones and Peter Pan. They can use him as bait."

"Why is everything so complicated here?" Mary Margaret took a seat on a nearby barrel.

"We need to think of some sort of plan before we reach the shore," Emma said. "I don't want to go into this whole thing blindfolded."

"We need to split up," Regina stepped into the conversation.

The four others looked at each other.

"How would we split up?" Emma asked her.

"There are six of us," Regina said. "Gold will take two others with him, and I'll take two others."

David and Mary Margaret looked at each other. "It sounds fair enough. But, how will we decide who goes with who?"

"Hook's coming with me," Gold said. "I need to keep him in check, and make sure he's not selling us out."

"Mary Margaret and I are not splitting up," David said.

"I've got the king and queen with me, so it seems," Regina sighed.

"Please," Emma held her hands up, "can we all just get along for once?"

"I was only stating what was at hand," Regina snarled.

"Emma's coming with Hook and me, and that's final," Gold stepped between the two women. "Emma's right, Regina. We can't mess up here."

Emma stepped back. "I'm going to go and explore this thing."

David and Mary Margaret stayed where they were while Regina and Gold stepped away to discuss other matters.

Hook only observed from the helm. _This better be worth it_, he thought to himself.

Regina:

"Gold, please tell me we have a way out of here," Regina urged.

"We have a way out of here, but it may require a lot more than you think," Gold sighed.

"What exactly do you mean by that?"

"The only other way out is with the fairies, but they've gone into hiding. They've been hiding for hundreds of years."

"I thought you said that nothing could be hidden in this world."

"They're fairies, Regina, Neverland fairies. Some are even more powerful than Mother Superior."

"Then why haven't they escaped?"

"Peter Pan's taken their source of power, so they're trapped here until they get it back, unless…"

"Unless, what?"

"Nothing," Gold turned and faced the ocean. "It's not possible."

"So, we're stuck here indefinitely?"

"Pretty much," Gold sighed.


	2. Partings

Chapter 2: Partings

David:

"Emma," he looked at his daughter. "Please, don't get in too much trouble. We've lost you once; we don't want to lose you again."

"I'll be fine, trust me," Emma reassured him. "We won't separate for too long."

"Please, be careful, though," Mary Margaret gave her hand a small squeeze.

"I will," she gave both her mother and her father a hug.

"I hate to break up your little family bonding, but we've got to get going," Regina walked past them.

"Just remember," David placed his hands on Emma's shoulders. "You can use magic. I know it's not much, yet, but when you need to, try."

"Just don't get caught," Emma told them. She smiled and walked over to Gold and Hook.

"I'm just so worried that everything will fail," Mary Margaret sighed. "I mean, we've never been here before."

"Hope," David turned to her. "It's all we need."

"I can't believe I'm trusting Emma with Gold and Hook, especially since they're staying on the ship."

"We need them to stay on the ship, stay on the outside so we'll always know where to run."

"They'll be moving the entire time, remember? They won't be staying in the same spot."

"Then, that just means we need to move fast enough to keep up with them."

"We'll be running the smaller circle of the island, and they'll be running the larger circle of the outer island."

"That's what we agreed with."

"It just doesn't make sense."

"It seems to make sense to everyone else, and it seems to be the best option right now, so let's just go with it."

"Hurry up!" Regina yelled out to David and Mary Margaret. "You two are taking too long!"

"We'll be fine," David gave Mary Margaret a quick kiss. "We can do this. Emma, Hook, and Gold will just be on the outskirts of the island. If they see anything suspicious, Gold knows how to hide the ship and they'll come to find us right away. Everything will be alright."

Mary Margaret nodded her head and hugged herself. "Alright, let's do this."

David took Mary Margaret's hand and guided her over to Regina, who was already standing on the shores of Neverland. David, followed by Mary Margaret, slowly walked down the ramp and placed his feet on the island's sand. Immediately, a cold feeling rushed up his spine.

"I can already feel the dark magic here," David stated.

"Trust me, so can I," Regina looked around to make sure no one else could see them.

Mary Margaret followed behind David. "I wish we'd brought different clothes."

Regina rolled her eyes and waved her hand over the king and queen. They were no longer in their ordinary Storybrooke clothes. Mary Margaret now looked like the typical girl pirate while David's clothes were strikingly similar to Hook's, though not as baring.

"Comfy enough?" Regina asked.

"Yes, thank you," David nodded his thanks to Regina.

"Just let me know if you need to change again," Regina said as she changed her own clothes by magic, looking like Mary Margaret.

"You know how to shield us? You can hide us?" Mary Margaret asked.

"Don't be so nervous," Regina smirked. "You were stuck with my mother for weeks. You can deal with this. Besides, shield charms don't last for a long time here."

"We've never been here before, Regina," Mary Margaret defended herself. "I'm just being cautious."

"Let's just go," David said. "The faster we start, the faster we can find Greg, Tamara, and Henry."

"Remind me, when we see Tamara and Greg, to rip their hearts out," Regina turned and began walking into the jungles of Neverland.

David only looked and Mary Margaret and shook his head. He took her hand. "Here's to a new adventure."

They followed Regina into the deadly territory of the island.

Gold:

He only closed his eyes and tried to block out Emma's voice as she complained. "Can't we go to sleep, take different watches? They're on the island now, and it took us nearly four hours just to reach the mainland."

"Love," Hook tried reasoning with her. "We need to stay awake for as long as possible, unless you want to be snatched away by the shadow."

"Isn't the shadow the same person as Peter Pan?" Emma asked.

"Hopefully you won't have to find out," Hook gave her a sly look.

"How much longer until we can set sail again?"

"Please, don't try to be the leader of this ship. You might as well get your own."

"I just asked a simple question!" Emma cried.

"We have to wait another half hour until we can move again."

"I don't understand the logic in this plan. The three others will be on the island the entire time and we won't even know where they'll be, so what's the point of staying on the ship when we can also be on the land searching for my son?" Emma was raising her voice now.

"We need to stay on the ship because the waters need to be watched too!" Hook's voice was now matching Emma's volume. "You don't know what's in the water. I've told you plenty of times now, love! Anything can happen here!"

"What if they're in trouble? Then, what will happen?"

"The best chance is to stay here. Regina has her magic. We can't leave this ship until we've circled the island once, then we can catch up to them."

"Can't we just shield this ship and go to the land?" Emma was growing tired of the bickering.

"Magic wears off over time here in Neverland. There's so much dark magic that the good magic will never be permanent. If we shield the ship now, we won't be able to shield it again later on."

"The ship won't be hidden! It just makes us more vulnerable to being captured! It's easier to see us!"

"That's a good thing because it'll just lure the Lost Ones and the shadow away from the three others. It'll give them more time and freedom to find Henry."

"Oh, so we just allow ourselves to get captured?"

"The only thing we can do is talk ourselves out of being captured. If we try to use magic at all, they'll see it as a sign of war and they will kill us!" Killian threw his hands up, tired of all the explaining.

Gold had had enough. "Just sail the damn ship! The faster we get around the island the faster we can get on the mainland and find the rest of the group, and Henry!"

"Oh, so now you're agreeing with her?" Hook looked taken aback.

"I'm doing what my own son would've done. He would've wanted to search for his son. I can't let him down any more than I already have!"

The words kept Emma and Hook quiet. Gold continued. "The shield charm will only last a week on the ship, so we need to make a move at some point."

"What if we find something that requires us to get off the ship before we go around the island once?" Emma asked.

"Then we get off then," Gold concluded. "Until then, we stay on the ship and watch the waters and the island."

Emma nodded her head and walked over to the right side of the ship, but Gold's voice stopped her. "Emma, go to sleep. We'll wake you up if something goes wrong."

"How do I know you won't try killing each other?" Emma asked.

"I can kill him with my magic and take over this ship if that pirate tried killing me," Gold smiled slightly.

Emma only stared, then turned and found a comfortable spot on the wooden bench closest to her. She could feel the waves rocking the ship. Fearful that she'd fall into the water, she moved away from the side of the ship and found a bench that lay on the center of the deck.

Making sure she was fully asleep, Hook quietly walked past her and approached Gold. "Emma told me that Neal was Henry's father."

"Is there a problem with that?" Gold asked, simply staring out at the ocean.

"That makes you Henry's grandfather, and Mary Margaret and David are also Henry's grandparents."

"I believe that it correct."

"Are you doing this for Emma?"

"I'm doing this for my son. You heard what I said."

"If Emma were taken away," Hook challenged, "would you take the time to find her?"

"Yes, because that's what Bae would do."

"If Baelfire hadn't disappeared, would you be here now?"

Gold sighed, "I already said I wouldn't kill you, so don't make me change my mind."

Hook turned around in defeat, but stopped to say one last thing to Gold. "I hope you know, in Bae's eyes, you weren't the only coward."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Gold asked.

Hook already turned back around and took his previous position at the helm.


	3. The First Collision

Chapter 3: The First Collision

Mary Margaret:

"Regina, you've never been here before, have you?" Mary Margaret whispered, too scared she'd be heard in the eerie silence.

"No, I haven't," Regina responded without even turning around. "Why do you ask?"

"I was just trying to figure out whether or not you knew where you were going."

"Yeah, well, I don't."

The three had been travelling for quite some time in relatively dense jungle. The trees blocked almost all vision of the night sky, so it made the journey even more complicated for the trio. The noiseless area seemed all too suspicious for Mary Margaret, causing her to continuously glance around to make sure they weren't being followed.

"Do you guys want to stop and make camp?" Mary Margaret suggested this time out loud.

"I don't think we'll be making camp anytime soon, that'd be too risky," Regina inputted.

"She has a point you know, we need to rest at some point, Regina," David said, trailing both Mary Margaret and Regina. "You and I both know you need the strength to use magic."

Regina stopped and sighed. She turned around. "Fine, when you two find some place to stop, let me know." She turned back around and proceeded.

"I'll take first watch," David offered.

"Are you sure?" Mary Margaret asked. "You need the strength too."

"I'll be fine," David squeezed her hand in reassurance.

The trio continued forward in hopes of finding a resting spot.

Hook:

He was standing on the forecastle deck when he heard Emma approaching from behind.

"So the Sleeping Beauty awakens," he mocked.

"How did I even end up in a bed? I was sleeping out on the main deck," Emma stopped to stand next to him.

"You practically shivered to death. If I really hated you, I would've left you out here, then tossed you out into the ocean and sailed away with Gold," Hook said, staring out at the waters.

"You would seriously do that?"

"It wouldn't be the first time."

Emma turned to look at the Captain, and then shook her head. "I can't believe I agreed to this."

"Without me, you would still be stuck in that town of yours, mourning over your lost husband and son."

He regretted the minute he opened his mouth. Emma looked as if she could murder the man, but she simply folded her arms and walked away. Hook could hear her sniffle, causing him to turn and see where Emma was headed. He watched as she made her way to Gold, who was standing at the helm.

"Emma, come on, I didn't mean it that way," Hook called after her, but it didn't make matters any different.

He walked in her direction, trying to catch up to her. He watched as she disappeared down the stairs that led to the hold. He proceeded to walk forward, but Gold stopped him.

"Make sure she stays there for now," Gold called from the helm.

"And, why is that?" Hook spoke loud enough so Gold could hear him.

"There's a small boat that's coming our way. I can't tell who's on it though."

Hook's eyes grew wide. He turned and ran to the helm. "Go down there and hide her. Make sure she's in a place where she won't found. Just keep her hidden for about fifteen minutes."

"Why would I do that when she can hide herself?"

"The boat that's coming, those are the Lost Ones. They cannot know that she's on this ship."

Gold simply looked at Hook before walking down the stairs and into the hold to hide Emma. Hook made sure Gold was safely on the level below before he began turning the ship a little bit away from the island. He had to make sure the shore was still within eyesight, but far enough so that the _Jolly Roger_ could circle the island on a larger diameter.

He kept his eyes on the approaching boat while simultaneously sailing the ship further away from the island. _Emma, please be hidden_, he thought to himself. He couldn't make the ship go any faster, and the Lost Ones already only a few yards away from the ship.

He took a deep breath and let a calm mask settle over his appearance. _Do not give yourself away,_ he told himself. _You've done this before_.

The boat disappeared from sight, but he heard the ropes being tossed over the deck. He stopped sailing and walked down to the main deck. He watched as the blonde teen clambered over the ship rail and stood up straight on the main deck. He watched closely as the boy approached him. It was the same boy he'd twice encountered ages ago. Even Hook himself couldn't remember how long ago it was when he'd last come across the Lost Ones.

"Well, we meet again, Captain Hook," the teen said with his raspy voice.

"Indeed, we do, Felix," Hook stared at him square in the eye.

'What brings you back here to Neverland? The last time you were here, you just showed how much of a coward you truly were."

"Maybe I just wanted to come back here on my own," Hook rebounded.

"Then where is your crew at?" Felix challenged. "A captain wouldn't travel on his own now, would he, especially not in Neverland."

"I left my crew back in the last land we traveled to."

Felix backed away, towards his group. "Search the ship."

Hook watched nervously as the Lost Ones broke into groups and split up. Hook tried to hide his apprehension, but Felix suspected.

"Is there something wrong, you coward? Last time, you let us search your ship without a second doubt."

"There's absolutely nothing wrong at all," Hook kept his calm.

Felix only smirked and went down the stairs into the hold. Hook closed his eyes, in hopes that Gold and Emma were no longer in the hold. He opened his eyes and saw that Gold was standing on next to him.

"Where's Emma?" Hook whispered harshly.

"Not to worry, Hook, not to worry," Gold smiled. "Oh, and you might want to stop talking...right about now."

Hook opened his mouth to speak, but was stopped when Felix and the Lost Ones once again appeared on the deck.

"It seems as if you've been abandoned, Hook," Felix walked once around him. "When we come back in the few days, you better be alone on this ship. I don't think you want to face _him _again."

"I imagine you don't want to face your leader's wrath again," Hook said.

Felix stopped, facing Hook. "There's another boy here in Neverland, isn't there."

"I don't know," Hook said. "I only got here."

"If you see one, you know where to go," Felix finished and walked back. He yelled out to the Lost Ones. "Let's go!"

Hook watched in silence as the Lost Ones made their return to the island once more. When they were far enough, Hook spoke out once more.

"Gold, where are you?"

"I was right next to you the whole time," Gold said, reappearing once more.

"They should've seen you though," Hook, still making sure the boat reached the island.

"There's this thing called magic. You should try learning how to use it."

Hook snapped his head and looked at Gold. "Then, where's Emma?"

"I'm right here," she appeared on the other side of Gold.

She began walking back to the room she originally woke up in. Hook turned back to Gold. "I thought we agreed on not using magic until we got to the island."

"Who said it was my magic?" Gold smiled once more.

Hook turned away from Gold and looked to see a blonde head of hair disappear.

"Did you purposely bring Emma to your room?" Gold asked.

Hook only rolled his eyes and left Gold's side.

* * *

**Author's Notes:**

**1. I'm pretty sure this is the first time I've put an author's note in the middle of a story, but...oh well...Thank you very much for the reviews! :) Shouts out to all of the reviewers. :) Thank you for all of the positive feedback too. It's not the best story, I know, but it's better than nothing! **

**2. I want to change my pen name because I'm bored of it, so if anyone has any suggestions, don't hesitate to post or let me know. Your help would be very kindly appreciated. Shouts out to anyone or everyone that helps with this.**

**3. Constructive Criticism please, instead of flat out negative comments. :) **

**4. If you don't like what the fanfic gives to you, don't be the person that decides to leave the negative comments. If you don't like not just this fanfic, but any specific fanfic, just don't put anything at all because it just shows as a sign of discouragement and any author would hate to see that. If you don't have anything nice to say, don't say anything at all. Everyone deserves to write whatever fanfic they want to write, so let them. **


	4. Breakthrough

Chapter 4: Breakthrough

Tamara and Greg:  
"Tamara, we've been walking around for hours and we haven't even found _him_ yet," Greg complained, "besides, our clothes are still soaking wet."

"We have to keep going," Tamara urged. "Besides, Henry's been unconscious ever since we got here. There's nothing to worry about."

"Can't we at least figure out where we're at?"

"What does it look like we're doing?"

The pair continued to walk in the jungle until they reached the end, where they began to walk on white sand, with numerous rocks that ground together at their feet. Tamara walked in front of Greg, who had Henry slung over his shoulder. She kept looking at the ground to see what exactly she was walking on. There were more than rocks and sand, there were small yellow and white chips that looked different. Greg followed behind her, inspecting the ground himself.

"What is this?" Tamara asked, not knowing whether or not she should be concerned.

"I don't know," Greg debated about picking one of the pieces from the ground, but decided against it.

Greg slowly set Henry on the ground, careful not to hurt the boy, and then joined Tamara. Both bent over to better examine the pieces on the ground. Tamara swallowed and picked one up.

Tamara was about to speak when she heard someone coming their way. Instinctively, she pulled the taser from her coat pocket and held it defensively in front of Greg and herself. She turned right and saw no one.

"Who's there?" Greg called out loud.

"I suggest you put that down," a raspy voice came from their left. Greg and Tamara whipped their heads in the opposite direction, finding themselves before a group of teenage boys.

"Who do you think you are?" Tamara sneered. "You're only a group of teenage boys. You can't do anything."

"We," the boy who spoke first stepped forward and gestured towards the group, "Are the Lost Ones. We are the faithful servants to _him_."

Greg and Tamara froze and looked at each other. Greg turned to look at the boy in front of him. "Who do you mean by '_him_'?"

The boy only looked at Greg in the eyes, as if trying to tell him through emotions. Another boy spoke up. "Felix, just tell them."

Felix smiled maliciously and spoke. "Peter Pan."

Tamara smiled to herself, but Felix continued. "Have either of you seen a boy? There's a rumor that there is a boy here in Neverland, and we have yet to find him."

"What would you do if we gave you guys a satisfying answer?" Tamara asked.

"If you gave us the thing we've searched for, for centuries, Peter Pan will reward you with riches, with anything you wish."

Greg and Tamara looked at each other triumphantly. "There is a boy on this island. We have him with us."

Felix's smile grew even wider. "Excellent. Show him to us."

Greg nodded and turned to pick Henry up from the ground. He turned white when he saw that Henry was no longer there. He looked up and checked the surroundings to see if Henry was anywhere within the vicinity.

"Greg, what's taking so long?" Tamara demanded.

"He doesn't have a boy with him," Felix's head tilted sideways, the smile gone. The smile was now replaced with a look of irritation and anger.

"What!" Tamara exclaimed.

"He's gone," Greg turned around to face the people.

Felix looked at him expectantly. "Find the boy and bring him back here. If we find the boy before either of you, the both of you will be disposed of by the mermaids."

Tamara held her stare on Felix. "What mermaids?"

"Do you see that lagoon there?" Felix turned around. The group divided into two, revealing a lagoon that was less than twenty feet away. "That's where the mermaids are. You don't want to get into any trouble with them."

"They're mermaids," Greg scoffed. "What's the worst they can do?"

Felix only smirked and turned to the group. "Let's go."

The group obeyed. They disappeared and went different directions.

"Hey!" Tamara yelled after Felix. "You didn't answer the question!"

Felix sighed and turned around. "Let's just say that the mermaids don't appreciate it when feet are dragged all over their prisoners."

"What prisoners? There's no one here," Greg replied, looking down. He opened his mouth, but stopped when the truth dawned on him. "Tamara, we're standing on shattered bones."

Tamara began backing away towards the mouth of the jungle when she also realized the truth. "Greg, let's go before the mermaids see us."

The two turned and ran back into the jungle.

Emma:

"I can try to shield the ship for at least a month, if we really stay here for that long," Emma told Gold and Hook.

"Using that much magic at such a low level will drain you of all your energy," Gold said.

"When you use a lot of magic at once, you don't get drained of energy, and neither does Regina," Emma said.

"We've been using it longer than you, and because Neverland doesn't affect us. Neverland is dark magic. Regina and I are accustomed to using dark magic; you, on the other hand, are not," Gold explained. "It'll be expected that the dark magic will drain you."

"It's worth the risk," Emma finished. "Besides, we can sail right along the island again without being seen."

"Emma, you don't need to be the only hero. You have other people with you," Hook said, siding with Gold.

"I just want to find my son as fast as possible!" Emma exclaimed when she turned to face the two men.

Emma was standing against a ship railing, looking at the island in hopes of seeing her son.

"We'll find him," Hook placed a hand on her shoulder. "It'll just take some time."

Emma didn't even bother shaking the hand off because she was too focused on getting onto the island.

"Emma, just remember that we need to be safe," Gold sighed, knowing she wouldn't budge.

Emma didn't even hear what Gold said when she saw movement in the trees.

She ship was less than three yards away from the shore.

"Hook, we need to sail the ship onto the shore," Emma said, never taking her eyes on the jungle.

"Why? There's no one there," he said, looking in her direction.

Emma wouldn't have it. She turned and bolted to the helm. _If they won't do this, then I will_, she thought to herself.

"Emma?" Gold called after her, "what are you doing?"

"There's someone there!" she cried, anxious now that it might be Henry.

Gold looked for himself, but saw no one. "There's no one there!" he began walking in her direction.

Hook beat him to it and tried pulling Emma off the helm. "Emma, it's no use!"

"Why not try!" Emma clung on, steering the ship closer to shore.

"It's not worth the risk!" Hook wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her back, hoping she would let go, but she still held on.

"I don't care! I will die finding Henry if I have to!" Emma said, determined.

When Gold had a clear shot, he sent forth a blast of magic that sent both Emma and Hook to the ground. "That's enough Emma."

"That could've been Henry!" Emma said, exasperated.

"What if it weren't Henry and it was _him_?" Gold asked. "We wouldn't have stood a chance against him."

"There's no point on staying on this ship anymore," Emma said. "If you guys don't want to leave, then don't, but I'm leaving."

"No," Hook grabbed her hand and pulled her back. "We promised your parents and Regina that we wouldn't screw things up, so you cannot leave the ship until planned."

"You two said we could get off the ship if we saw something suspicious," Emma recalled. "That qualifies for something suspicious."

Gold and Hook remained silent, thinking about what they should do next. Emma turned back and saw movement in the trees. She only held back the anger that was ready to explode.

She knew someone was there, even if it wasn't her son. _Either someone can see the ship, or someone can see us_, she thought to herself.

"We'll leave the ship tomorrow," Hook decided.

"Oh, so you're going to agree with her now?" Gold said. "You said yourself that it's not worth risking everything just to get on the island at an earlier time."

"She could be right," Hook told him, and looked back to the trees.

Emma clung onto the ship railing, trying to see who was there behind the trees.

"There's no one there, dearie. There's no use in wasting your time standing there," Gold said before retreating to the lower level of the ship.

"How do you tell time in Neverland?" Emma turned around, asking out loud.

Hook was the only person left on the deck, so he answered, "All the shadows you see are positioned a different way when it's during the day."

"There is no daylight here. It's straight up darkness twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week."

"Love, when you've been in Neverland long enough, you know almost everything. You can see almost everything."

"What do you mean?"

Hook sighed. "There's a point when stars barely come out in the sky to shine more light on Neverland and its waters. It's hard to notice at first, but when you do notice it, everything suddenly becomes brighter."

Emma turned back around and stared at the island without saying another word to Hook.

Hook only shook his head and walked to the helm.

Henry:

He knew he was moving too much, but he could've sworn he'd heard something. He kept turning around to make sure no one was watching him. He was right on the border of the jungle, only a few feet away from the sandy shores of Neverland. Henry knew if he exposed himself on the beach, he'd easily be seen, so he stayed on the edge of the jungle.

He looked out to the waters and saw something different. There was one area where the waters were more still than the rest. In fact, it seemed as if the waters were lapping onto something, as if there was something invisible. Henry couldn't figure it out, so he retreated even further, hiding himself.

He looked down and examined the gun he held in his hand. There were still shots left, although not enough to help Henry survive for much longer.

He looked back out to the waters and saw that the water had once again shifted in pattern. It seemed as if the water was going in two directions. It seemed to be imitating the path of a ship, but still, Henry saw nothing but the open ocean and sky.

_I'm going crazy_, Henry thought to himself.

He turned back around and started his journey of survival on his own.

* * *

**Author's Note:**

**Thank you again for the reviews and follows! Much appreciated :)**

**I apologize for the delay in posting. I've been out of town the past three days for a swim meet and I did not have access to a computer, but here you go! :)**

**And, I'm still debating about whether or not I want to change my pen name...**


	5. Abandoned

Chapter 5: Abandoned

Regina:

"Ugh, why'd we have to cross that river?" Regina complained.

"Relax, it's not as if it was deep," David scoffed. "It only reached to your knees."

"Yeah, but I still feel filthy."

"Do you want to find Henry or not?"

"I don't see why we still had to cross the river."

"If we hadn't crossed the river, Regina," Mary Margaret turned to her, "we would've been stuck on one side of the island, and we wouldn't be able to go on the other side. And who knows, maybe Henry is on this side of the island."

Regina thought about what had been said and she had to agree. The three had been walking for some time now ever since they took a break. Twice they'd seen the Lost Boys roaming around on the island, but luckily, the Lost Boys hadn't seen them.

"Which way are we supposed to go now?" Regina asked. They'd been walking in what seemed like a straight line.

"I don't know," Mary Margaret said. "There's a paved path way ahead of us."

"Well, why not follow it?" Regina suggested.

"That actually sounds like a pretty good idea," David said.

They walked on in the direction of the path, hoping that it would lead to Henry.

Hook:

He held his hand out, offering to help Emma off the ramp, but she only look on and ignored him. He sighed and followed her onto the sand, leaving Gold to get off of the ramp himself.

"Thanks for the help," Gold called after him.

"You don't need it," Hook said, still following Emma.

Hook only tried to catch up to Emma, who was walking too fast.

"Emma, slow down!" Hook reached out to grab her arm, but failed.

"I'm going to find my son," she never turned back to look at him.

"Gold is still back there."

"I don't care."

Hook had had enough. He lunged forward and grabbed her armed to stop her.

"Emma, stop."

"Why?" she asked while trying to pull away from him.

"We need to stop and think this through. We can't just waltz through Neverland, expecting everything to be easy."

"I will search for my son on my own if I have to," Hook had not yet let go of Emma.

"We have to wait for Gold to catch up," Hook said.

"No."

He sighed and gave up. "Fine, then."

He walked forward and hoisted Emma up and threw her over his shoulder.

"Put me down!" Emma began squirming.

Hook only ignored her and walked back to the beach. As painful as her hitting and squirming was, they made it back to the beach. He dropped her ungracefully onto the sand and stood back up. He searched the beach, but Gold was nowhere to be seen.

"Where's Gold?" Hook looked down at Emma, who was still struggling to get up.

"What do you mean? You said he was still here!" Emma began yelling at him. "Fuck!"

"He was here!" Hook began yelling, angered that the crocodile had left. "Can you see the ship, even if you're shielding it?"

Emma finally was able to stand, and stared out into the ocean. She threw her head back with irritation. "There's no ship there."

Hook threw his hands up, filled with pure anger and frustration. "Son of a bitch! Dammit, Gold!"

"I can't believe he left!" Emma turned and faced the jungle. "How are we going to go back? I don't want to be stuck here forever!"

"We have to do everything on our own now," Hook was still getting over his frustration.

"Why did I not see this coming? I should've known he would do this," Emma felt the tears starting to roll down her face.

Hook got himself together and turned back to Emma. "Let's go."

"What do you mean?" Emma wiped the tears.

"You said you wanted to find your son as soon as possible, so that's what we're going to do," Hook placed his hand on her back and guided her back into the jungle.

Regina:

"I can't believe it," Regina said, still marveling at the camp before her. "This place looks like it's gone through some sort of massacre."

David walked through the center of the camp and picked his way through the burned logs. The canvas tents were slashed and charred, the drums were splintered. The log benches were burned practically to ashes; blankets were strewn all over the place. Worst of all, there were blood stains everywhere.

"I wonder what happened here," Mary Margaret sighed.

"I wonder if Neverland really is this bad," Regina rummaged through the remains of the camp, seeing if there was anything else left alive.

"I noticed something weird about this place," David called from the other side of the camp. "There are no shadows here."

"That's strange," Mary Margaret said. "I wonder why it's like that."

"I don't think everyone died, it can't be possible," Regina pointed out.

"Where would the people have gone, though?"

"How am I supposed to know? We've never been here before."

"Hey guys," David looked up from a canvas he had finished examining. "There's fresh blood on here."

"There's fresh blood on this too," Regina said, lifting up a blanket.

Mary Margaret began rummaging through the remaining canvas on the west side of the camp. She reached the bottom of the pile before she screamed. "Oh my god!"

"What?" David instantly ran over to Mary Margaret's side. "What is it?"

Regina came over to see what Mary Margaret was pointing at. Soon enough, both Regina and David had their mouths hanging open.

"Are those –are those cut up body parts?" Regina asked.

"We have to leave, now," Mary Margaret urged. "I don't want to be here anymore.

"I have to agree with her, Regina," David put a protective arm around Mary Margaret. "Let's go."

Regina only nodded and followed the couple back to the path.

Henry:

He was still staying in the shadows of the jungle. _I cannot be seen_, Henry said to himself. He'd already seen the shadow three times, but the shadow had not seen him. The Lost Boys had already passed him once, and Henry nearly revealed himself. He'd been walking around for who knows how long.

He continued walking, until his legs could no longer carry him. He flopped onto the cold ground, desperately trying to stay awake. When he heard the light footsteps approaching, he tried lifting his head, but had no strength left to move.

_I guess this is the end_, he thought to himself.

The last thing he remembered was the feeling of a soft hand touching his cheek and the taste of a sweet liquid let him drift off into his dreams.

* * *

**Sorry for the delay in updates. Food poisoning is the worst :( **


	6. New Acquaintances

Chapter 6: New Acquaintances

Henry:

He opened his eyes and found himself in a small, wooden room, filled with many trinkets. There was a window on each wall, so Henry took the initiative and looked out the closest window. He discovered that he was in a tree house, but from the outside, the tree house looked battered and beaten. He brought himself back into a sitting position. _I'm in an enchanted tree house_, he thought to himself.

There were two twin sized beds, one yellow and one blue. There was a rug, two chests at the foot of each bed. There were shelves on each wall, filled with the trinkets that first came into Henry's mind.

He got to his feet in search for the exit. He walked over to the rug and lifted it, revealing a door. _Should I do it?_

Henry crouched down and reached his hand out, but as he did so, the latch turned. Henry immediately placed the rug back over the door and backed into the furthest corner away from the door.

He watched as the door slowly opened, causing the rug to slide over. A girl, who looked only a few years older than Henry, popped her head into the room. Her long black hair was tied back into a ponytail; her deep brown eyes were sunken with bags emphasizing the exhaustion. There were bruises that spotted over her face with a cut running across the left side of her face.

She placed both hands on either side of the entrance and hoisted herself up with struggle. She plopped down to the side when she was finally in the tree house. She removed the bag that was hanging from her side and placed it on the yellow bed. She only sighed and plopped down next to the bag.

Henry was observing every movement, waiting for the girl to discover him. He watched as she reached into the bag and revealed a bottle that was filled with what seemed like water. The girl turned and looked around the room. Henry saw as she simply skipped over him, acting as if he were another piece of furniture, but the girl's eyes immediately darted back to him.

Henry kept his mouth shut, afraid that if he said anything, he would be attacked. The girl slowly rose from the bed and carefully approached Henry. She crouched in front of him and reached out to touch his cheek.

It wasn't the same soft touch that Henry remembered.

The girl gasped and pulled her hand back. "You're the one."

Henry found his voice. "Excuse me?"

"You're the one they're looking for, the Lost Ones and their leader, Peter Pan!"

"Uh, what do you mean?"

"Whatever you do, you cannot leave this tree house."

"Oh, okay. What did you mean, though, by 'you're the one'?"

"Peter Pan is only a shadow! He needs to find a little boy's body in order to last forever!"

"Why me? Why can't it be someone else?"

"No one knows. It was only recently when the few of us found out about the boy," the girl looked down. "That is the only secret we know, unfortunately."

Henry looked at the girl's orange night dress and realized that it was dirty, ripped in some places. "Who are you running from?"

"Peter Pan and the Lost Ones, of course, because anyone that crosses their path now, they kill."

Henry had too many questions running through his mind. "What's your name?"

"Tiger Lily. What's your name?"

"Henry. Who is the other person that shares this tree house with you?"

"Ariel, she's probably out collecting more food for us."

"Why aren't you guys with your families?"

"Link and Felix killed the remainder of my family only a few days ago, my brother and my father, but I've been hiding ever since my mother died six months ago. I found Ariel, nearly dead on one of the beaches, though I don't remember which one. Her family was tortured and killed by Peter Pan's mermaid allies. Ariel's family was the last remaining royal family in Neverland."

"Do you know when she's coming back?"

"I never know if she'll ever come back. I have to wait every night in hopes of her return, so I always look out the window."

"Why does it look different on the outside?"

"We found it like this. From the outside, all you see is an abandoned tree house that's been weathered down through time. From the bottom, there is no ladder or entrance to be seen. When we found this, the entire room was empty, except for one thing. Everything you see in here was made and collected in the past six months," Tiger Lily gestured proudly.

"Is it alright with you if I just called you Lily?"

"Of course, it's what Ariel calls me."

"What was the one thing you found in here?"

Lily walked over to the bedside table that was placed between both beds. She picked up a glass bottle that was empty and walked back to Henry. "This."

"An empty jar?"

Lily smiled and shook the jar. Instantly, a light came into existence and provided light that could light the whole room. "It's a star. It provides enough light that will provide sufficient enough for the surroundings. If it were placed outside, it would shine bright enough to light up all of Neverland."

"Why this star, though?"

"There's two stars that serve as the entrance to Neverland, apart from the travel of magic. There's the second star to the right, where everyone uses to get into Neverland. Then there's the star that was created by the fairies. This is the star that was created by the fairies."

"Why would they leave that here?"

"There's only so many questions with so little answers, Henry. Ariel knows more than me, so when we see her again, she will be sure to tell you."

"So, what do we do now?" Henry walked over to one of the windows.

"We wait for Ariel to come back, of course."

Greg and Tamara:

"I think this is his lair," Greg motioned to the wooden door that opened into the ground.

"Let's go inside," Tamara smiled to herself, enjoying the idea.

They reached forward, each taking hold of a latch, and pulled. The doors wouldn't budge.

"Why?" Tamara tried once more, but the doors remained shut.

Greg let go and stood back up, but when he did so, he felt something different. He felt as if something was being placed on his shoulders, weighing his down. He sank to his knees, feeling the pain grow.

"Greg," Tamara stood back up, "what are you doing?"

Greg tried to speak, but the pain was beginning to spread through his body. He felt as if his skin were being ripped off of him in one slow motion. He fell to the ground, writhing in pain. Blood began pouring from his hands as if fresh cuts were sliced into him. His back arched and Greg screamed in agony from the sensation. He didn't know where it was coming from. More blood began appearing all over his body as the scene continued.

Tamara looked up, and screamed. "Oh, my god!"

Peter Pan stayed hovering over them as he held all of Greg's shadow in his hands. Tamara watched as he placed the shadow onto his body, only molding within himself. Tamara looked back down at Greg, who was now lying in his own pool of blood.

She heard a voice speak, a voice she never thought she'd hear before. It was the voice of the person she feared the most. "Go, now, for I am sparing you this only time, girl. Do not let me see you again on this island."

"I…" Tamara had trouble finding her voice. "I was going to bring you the boy you were looking for."

"Your actions do not matter to me anymore. My men can do that for me. You tried to break into my home."

Tamara only nodded her head and backed away into the jungle.

"Leave, now!" she heard the voice boom from the shadow.

Tamara turned and headed back into the jungle, leaving Greg behind to the shadow.


	7. The Fallen

Chapter 7: The Fallen

Henry:

"I'm Ariel," the teenager turned to him. "I'm the one who brought you to this tree house."

"Thank you, but, why didn't you just leave me?" Henry asked the red-headed girl.

"You're the one that _he_ wants. No one knows why, and everyone deserves a chance to live, as long as you're not one of the Lost Boys. You can stay here for as long as you need to, though."

"Thanks," Henry genuinely said.

"How did you end up here in Neverland anyway?" Ariel asked while Lily began dividing the food among the three of them. Henry began his tale:

"There's this man and a woman, Greg and Tamara. Somehow, they found my home, Storybrooke –it's in a different world. They don't really like magic, so they tried everything within their power to destroy it, or, eliminate it from my world. It didn't work because my family found a way to stop them. Greg and Tamara found me and kidnapped me though, and they used a magic bean to open up a portal here, to Neverland. They never told me that I was wanted by Peter Pan, but I guess I know that now. When we got here, all we did was walk around, looking for Peter Pan, but we never found him because at the time, we didn't know he was a shadow. We ran into the Lost Boys, too. I heard a blonde one say something about mermaids...Greg and Tamara were too engrossed with the Lost Boys, so they forgot that I was still with them. That was when I escaped without anyone noticing. I got pretty far, and then you found me."

Ariel nodded her head as she took in every word he said. "Where's your family now?"

"I, I don't know," Henry admitted. "They're probably still in Storybrooke, but I really hope they find a way to get here."

"What do they look like?" Lily asked as she came over and served the seafood to Henry and Ariel.

"My mom, my real mom Emma, she's average height I guess. She has really blonde hair. My foster mom, Regina, she's the Evil Queen from the Enchanted Forest. I think you've heard of her. And, my grandparents are Snow White and Prince Charming. My father is Neal, well, Baelfire, Rumplestiltskin's son," Henry explained.

"Did you say Baelfire was your father?" Lily asked and looked at Ariel in disbelief.

"Yeah, why?"

"I've met him. He's a nice one. All he wanted to do was get back to his family because they were the only ones he cared about," Lily explained. "He was the first boy to escape from Neverland, along with Captain Hook."

_ Too bad he abandoned Emma and I before I was even born. _

"I wonder what he looks like now," Ariel said. "I remember the boy you're talking about."

"He's dead," Henry cut in. "He died a day before I got here."

"Oh," Ariel looked down, "how unfortunate."

"I wish I got to know him more."

"Well," Lily said, trying to get rid of the sudden sadness that was cast over the group, "Ariel and I are going to do whatever we can to help you get back to your family. We cans start first thing tomorrow."

Henry couldn't do anything but smile. "I would really appreciate that."

"We'll take you out with us so you can help too," Ariel smiled. "Although, I can't take you underwater because I don't think you can turn into a mermaid like I can."

"I think I prefer to stay on land," Henry laughed. "Thanks for the offer, though."

"We need to get him a new set of clothes, too!" Lily exclaimed. "Henry, you can't wander around Neverland with clothes like that!"

"Let's get started then," Henry said.

The three bustled around the tree house, planning and organizing their strategies.

Emma:

Emma began shivering from the pouring rain that took over. They'd been walking for what seemed like hours in the jungles.

"We're not accomplishing anything!" Emma complained.

"Lass, this is Neverland. It's expected," Hook scoffed. "Besides, if I'm correct, we're almost by the Lost Boys' lair."

"Why would we look in there?"

"Well, Greg and Tamara probably have the motive of handing him over to Peter Pan, so we either search or get killed in the process of breaking into Peter Pan's hideout, or we can risk getting captured and sneak into the Lost Boys' lair. Take your pick."

"You make it sound bad both ways," Emma looked at him.

"It's the truth," Hook said.

Emma only looked forward, but the coat she'd been wearing began weighing her down. The water began seeping not only through her coat, but through her clothes underneath. Hook, on the other hand, knew what Neverland was like and had the proper attire. His coat acted like a water repellent.

Emma rubbed her hands together to keep them warm, but did not succeed. Hook looked over and smirked.

"What are you laughing about?" Emma asked as she continued walking forward.

"Here, love," he took off his coat and wrapped it around Emma. "Take it."

"Thanks," Emma gladly accepted his coat, "but, aren't you going to get wet now?"

"When you're in Neverland for a long time, you know exactly what you're supposed to wear."

Emma slipped her arms through the sleeves, instantly spreading the warmth throughout her body. It was as if the coat was charmed to keep the person warm.

"And, here we are," Hook pulled Emma closer to his side and stood her in front of a plain oak tree.

"I'm looking at a tree," Emma said, puzzled.

"Keep looking and you'll find the door," Hook smiled. "I'm going to walk around and check to make sure no one's here."

Emma snapped her head in his direction. "You're just going to leave me here?"

"The valiant Emma Swan is scared, isn't she," Hook crossed his arms and looked at her expectantly.

Emma wasn't just going to admit she was genuinely scared of being by herself in the dark. "No, I just asked a question."

"You won't be by yourself for a long time," he reassured her. "I'll make it quick."

Hook walked around while Emma continued to look at the tree. There was nothing out of the ordinary that stood out. The trunk looked normal; the branches looked plain, even the leaves were the proper shade of green. She stepped a little closer, but still found nothing. Emma closed her eyes and took a deep breath. _Think, Emma._

She opened her eyes and concentrated. _What would the Lost Boys do?_

She carefully picked her way closer to the door. There were enough stars in the sky to shine a new light onto the trunk. Emma looked up at the leaves and found that a few of the leaves had turned from green to gold. _What the hell_?

She looked back at the trunk and carefully examined it with the new light. She ran her fingers over the wood and looked until she found what she was looking for. A light golden outline of a golden leaf was placed right on the center face of the trunk. She reached up to pick a leaf, but hesitated.

Emma brought her arm down, but almost screamed when she saw a hand immediately take hold of her arm.

"Relax, lass," Hook said. "It's only me."

"Oh my god," Emma took deep breaths. "Don't do that!"

"Listen, there's a something lying on the ground around the corner, but I didn't go too close in case it was something I didn't want to see."

"Let me see," Emma said, backing away from the tree.

Hook guided her from the entrance to the area nearby. Emma found herself looking at a real pair of trapdoors that were placed on the ground.

"Why are those there?" Emma asked.

"That's Peter Pan's lair. I checked to make sure he wasn't here," Hook informed her. "I can't tell what that is."

Hook pointed to a heap that was lying a few yards away from the door. Emma slowly took steps in that direction. She walked until she was standing directly over the pile. Carefully, she leaned over to check what was on the other side. When she saw _who _it was, she jumped back from solid fear. She went straight into Hook's arms and buried her face into his shoulder. She wanted to say something, but no words came to her mouth.

"It can't be that bad," Hook said, as he wrapped an arm around her while taking his sword in the other.

Slowly, Emma still turned around, he guided them back to the person.

"Bloody hell," Hook muttered.

Emma couldn't bear looking back at the Greg's shredded form. His eyes were gone, his nose was broken. His teeth were gone. With all of the blood gone, it was easy to see the missing arm and leg. The dried out cuts across his chest were already drying and yellowing with infection. His tongue was almost detached from his mouth, but was simply hanging loosely from the edge.

"This is why we don't make Peter Pan mad," Hook kept his arm wrapped around Emma as he guided her back to the Lost Boys' lair.

"You can look now," he turned her around, revealing the previous golden leaves.

"I never want to see something like that again," Emma sighed, running a hand through her hair.

"As long as I'm here to protect you, I'm sure you won't mind," Hook teased.

Emma gave a small smile as she reached up and picked a golden leaf and placed it on the trunk.

"I'm glad you figured it out," Hook approved.

"It took a while, but it was worth it," Emma dropped the leaf and watched as a portion of the tree trunk slowly slid open, revealing a spiral staircase.

"Would you like to go first?" Emma gestured towards the entrance.

Hook only laughed and passed his sword to Emma. "Ladies first, I believe."

"What a gentleman," Emma rolled her eyes.

"I'm always a gentleman," Hook only mocked her.

They descended the staircase, ignoring the door that closed behind them.

"What are we supposed to find down here?" Emma asked.

"It's their home. There are no bodies down here, trust me," Hook reassured her.

Emma slowed down as she discovered that the end of the staircase was near. She hopped off the last step and stood inside of the lair. She heard Hook land to her left.

She found herself staring at a series of beds and a fire place. It looked like a typical room with nothing unusual about it.

"You've got to be kidding me," Emma crossed her arms.

"I told you; it's their home," Hook said.

Emma and Hook walked forward towards the beds, but Emma stopped.

"Lass, there's no one else in here."

"No, I know, it's just…" Emma back tracked her steps to the rug they passed over. "It's hollow under here."

"That's impossible," Hook said, joining here. "I've been here too many times and there's never been anything else here."

Emma crouched and moved the rug to the side.

"And, you said there was nothing else in here," she smiled, finding a trap door.

"Well, let's open it," Hook said.

"You can open it," Emma stood and offered the position to Hook.

Hook only laughed and shook his head as he pulled on the handle. There was another staircase revealed; only this time, the bottom was visible.

"Stay here," Hook told Emma. "Hold this door open."

Emma obeyed and stood at the entrance while Hook descended.

Hook:

He reached the bottom and found himself in a small room.

_Well, this is strange_.

He noticed that the only visible light was the light that illuminated the bottom of the staircase. Other than that, there were shadows everywhere.

He turned to climb back up the staircase.

"Wait," a voice said.

Hook paused, remaining rigid, and looked up at Emma, who also heard the voice. Emma only stared back at him with wide eyes.

"Who's there?" Hook slowly turned around.

He watched closely as a girl appeared from the shadows. She looked as if she was barely thirteen, maybe fourteen. The dress she wore seemed to be white, but yellowed from time. Her face was gaunt, her body was frail. The curls in her hair were gone and her honey brown hair showed to be messy. She stood barefoot before Hook. He noticed the dried blood on her face and hands.

"Who are you?" the girl spoke with a timid voice.

"Killian Jones, also known as Captain Hook. Who are you?" he asked, tightening his grip on his sword.

"Wendy," the girl bore a stare into him. "My name is Wendy Darling."

* * *

**Thanks again for the reviews, much appreciated :) Finals are finally over, but there's still one week of school left, so, I'll try to get another chapter up sometime this weekend...no promises though. **


	8. Darling

Chapter 8: Darling

Wendy:

_ She watched in horror as the shadow flew away with her two brothers. _

_ "John! Michael!" she cried out after them, even when she knew it was no use. _

_ Wendy briskly walked to the bedroom door. _I have to tell mother and father_. She stepped into the hall and made her way to the other side of the stairs. She reached her parents' room and made her way into the room._

_ "Mother, father, wake up!" she cried. "Something's gone wrong!" _

_ Mrs. Darling stirred before opening her eyes and yawning. "Wendy, dear, it's early in the morning, can't this wait?" _

_ "No! You must come! John and Michael are gone!" Wendy was growing impatient now._

_ Mr. Darling opened his eyes and sat up in the bed. "Wendy, is this true?" _

_ "You must come, now! We need to rescue them!" she ran over to the bed and pulled on her father's arm. He slipped out of bed, following his daughter. Mrs. Darling followed closely behind. The three hurried across the hall into Wendy's room. _

_ "That's odd, I don't remember closing the door," Wendy though out loud._

_ "This isn't time to worry about doors, Wendy!" her father said. _

_ She opened to door and found her window open, and still no sign of her brothers. She explained to her parents what had happened while she continued searching around the room and out the window. _

_ "Wendy, there is no shadow," Mrs. Darling tried telling her. "It's just your imagination."_

_ "Your brothers must have run away," Mr. Darling said in disbelief. "I never thought they would do such a thing." _

_ "There is a shadow! They were taken to Neverland!" Wendy protested. "They're going to be killed!" _

_ "No, no, Wendy," her father tried to calm her. "Go back to sleep. Your mother and I will take care of this." _

_ Wendy stayed and stared out the window, ignoring her parents. Mr. and Mrs. Darling saw the evident disappointment in their daughter, but could do nothing else about it. Mr. Darling reached out and placed a hand on Wendy's shoulder, trying to comfort her. _

_ Mrs. Darling walked forward, but she did not make it far. She felt a hand clamp over her mouth. She let muffled screams come from her mouth, hoping that her husband or daughter would turn around. _

_ Wendy was more content with speaking with her mother, so she turned around, but instead of her mother, she saw one person she never thought she'd see. _

_ "Felix!" she cried. She backed into one of the back corners of her room. _

_ "Hello, Wendy," Felix smiled. "Have you told your parents about your brothers yet?" _

_ "What are you doing here?" _

_ "Wendy, do you know this man?" Mr. Darling looked at her._

_ "Where's my mother?" Wendy demanded, but refrained from getting any closer to him. _

_ "Right here," Felix hoisted her up. "It's too bad your parents don't believe anything you say…if only _he_ could see this right now."_

_ "See what?" Mr. Darling looked down right confused. "Wendy, what is he talking about." _

_ "Felix, please, don't," Wendy begged, her eyes welling with tears. _

_ Felix only gave her a cruel smile. Mr. Darling continued to look dumbstruck. _

_ Wendy ran forward in attempt to save her mother, but it was too late. Felix raised his hand, revealing a black dagger. He flawlessly stabbed Mrs. Darling with it, instantly killing her. _

_ "Mary!" Mr. Darling, to his horror, ran over to his now dead wife. He took her lifeless body into his arms, letting his tears fall onto her face. _

_ Wendy was frozen in her spot, unable to move. "Let me go!" _

_ "We are not finished here," Felix looked at her. "Wouldn't it be strange if three members of the Darling family just…disappeared?"_

_ "What have you done?" Mr. Darling set his wife on the floor and stood to face Felix._

_ "I've relieved your daughter of one of her biggest burdens," Felix pointed the black dagger in Wendy's direction. "I'm not done with my job here, though." _

_ Realizing what he meant, Mr. Darling backed away, but tripped over a stray teddy bear. He tried scrambling back to his daughter, but found himself immobilized. He only looked at Felix with pleading eyes, begging to save him. Felix sauntered over to Mr. Darling and stared at him with a look of hunger, determination. _

_ "How shall I do this, Wendy?" Felix taunted the girl. _

_ "Please, don't do this," Wendy sobbed. _

_ "A fast death it shall be, then," Felix declared. He took the dagger and found it unsatisfactory, so he sheathed it, only to unsheathe a sword. He gave one last laugh to Mr. Darling, before letting the sword do its job. A scream escaped Mr. Darling before his life was taken away. _

_ Wendy only looked in horror as her father was decapitated. The body fell limp to the floor next to Mrs. Darling. _

_ "The Darling parents have died, and their children have run away," Felix said. "What a shame, the family had so much wealth." _

_ "Kill me, please," Wendy begged. She found that she was able to move once more. She dropped to the ground and hugged herself. She'd already lost her brothers, but now she's lost her parents. _

_ Felix sheathed his sword and walked over to Wendy. He crouched down so he was level with her eyes. "Do you really think I'd leave you here?"_

_ He softly cupped her chin, forcing her to look at him. "Your brothers miss you Wendy."_

_ She backed away from Felix. "I'd rather die here than go back to Neverland." _

_ Felix sighed and stood back up. "It's too late. _He's _already here." _

_ Wendy tried making a dash for the door, but Felix caught her. The shadow was already waiting in the window. Felix took Wendy and threw her over his shoulder. He approached the shadow. "It's done." _

_ The shadow seemed to nod, then took Felix's wrist. Making sure he had a secured lock on Wendy, he allowed the shadow to carry the two of them away to Neverland. _

Hook:

"How long have you been here?" Hook and Wendy had moved to the main room.

"I don't know how long it's been. When I was captured by Felix, the year was around…1904," Wendy looked at him.

"It's been over a hundred years since you've been in Neverland," Emma observed with disbelief.

"It seems so, but it doesn't make a different, considering people don't age here on Neverland," Wendy continued to explain.

"You're just left down there?" Hook asked.

"I'm allowed out here whenever Felix is here, or Link."

"And, how often is that?"

"I'm not sure. They feed me though, and take care of me," she assured them.

"Have you been outside of this tree?" Emma asked.

"Yes, Felix takes me with him."

The three were silent for a moment.

"Don't you ever wish you could go back to your home?" Hook looked at her.

"Yes, but I realized long ago that there was no hope left in my return. Felix told me that our house was sold to a different family."

"What about your brothers? Where are they?"

Wendy turned away. Before she even said it, Emma and Hook already knew the answer. Regardless, she turned back. "Peter Pan killed them. I watched him do it…neither of them were the boy he wanted, so he killed them."

Emma's eyes brought back a new shine. She had to continue to get information from Wendy, even though she knew it was painful for the girl. "How did he kill your brothers?"

"He ripped their shadows from their bodies. When Peter Pan rips a shadow off a person, he rips the skin with it, so essentially, the person bleeds to death…when he was finished with the boys, he gave their corpse to Felix. All dead boys go to the mermaids."

Emma felt a chill go down her spine. "What about the boy he wants, do you know who it is?"

"Felix has a picture of the boy. It's black and white, so I can't really describe it."

Emma looked at Hook. "Well, at least we have something to look for."

"Indeed we do," he nodded.

Emma returned her focus to Wendy. "Do you know when Felix is coming back?"

"They should be coming back soon," Wendy told her, "but you should leave, I don't think you want to see or know what he does to me."

"What do you mean?"

Wendy sighed. "If you must know, hide with me just this once. It may help. They discuss their plans and Peter Pan's plans while they're in here."

Emma looked at Hook. "We could risk a couple of hours, right?"

"We'll see."

Wendy led the way back into the room below.

David:

He protectively stood in front of Mary Margaret while Regina stood to his side.

"Have you seen this boy?" the teenager held a black and white picture in front of the three.

Mary Margaret paled; David struggled to keep a straight face; Regina only turned away.

"No, we haven't seen him," David told the boy.

The teenager looked at David with suspicion. "Do you know what happens to liars when you're here on Neverland?"

"I don't think it's something I want to find out," David said confidently.

"If you want to live longer, be careful with what you say around here," the boy warned. "If you see this boy, let us know."

David watched as the teenager disappeared into the shadows of the jungle.

"What are we going to do?" Regina groaned.

"Why do they want Henry?" Mary Margaret cried.

"Hey," he turned to look at the two women. "When we find Henry, we need to hide. We are not going to let them have him. We came here to take Henry back, and that's exactly what we're going to do."

Regina nodded, trying to calm herself. Mary Margaret spoke up. "I wonder if Emma knows."

"Even if she doesn't, her intentions are the same as ours. Don't forget, we're all on the same team."

Regina turned around, rage evident. "I want to kill Peter Pan, and those damn Lost Boys. I will kill them if it's the last thing I do!"

David nodded. "We will kill them."

* * *

**School's out! Yay! Maybe I'll actually be able to upload chapters more frequently now! :) Oh, and, thanks for all of the reviews, much appreciated! :) **


	9. The Second Collision

Chapter 9: The Second Collision

Regina:

"Is that –is that Tamara?" Regina whispered to David and Mary Margaret.

The three of them took their positions behind a mass of shrubs.

"Where's Greg?" David wondered.

"She looks lost," Mary Margaret observed.

"Should we approach her?"

"We're going to come out one by one," Regina instructed. "I'll go first, just to make sure she's in her right state of mind. If she attacks, you two will have to back me up."

"Do we both go at the same time?" Mary Margaret asked.

"If and when she attacks, yes," Regina told her.

They all agreed, and then Regina stood. She took a deep breath and slowly advanced. _I have to put on an act_. She needed to make sure that she could get as much information from Tamara as possible.

She reached the edge of the forest. _Here we go_. She didn't realize that the area was covered in bones. The minute she stepped foot on the new pavement, she heard the crunch, and so did Tamara. Regina looked up at the same time Tamara turned around.

She saw the pain and the anger in Tamara's eyes. Regina saw the lust for revenge within the woman. She knew something had happened.

Regina slowly raised her arms, indicating that she had no weapons on her body. She slowly approached, in fear that Tamara might suddenly retaliate.

"Tamara, what's going on?"

Tamara's eyes bore deep into Regina's. "Do you know where we are?"

"Tamara, what happened?"

"This place, this is where we lost Henry. This is Mermaid's Lagoon."

Regina couldn't tear her gaze away. "What do you mean? What are you talking about?"

"We tried finding him, but the Shadow caught up to us. He took Greg's life, and now he's out to take mine."

"Tamara, where is my son?"

"I don't deserve to die. You guys do. Without you here, we could've already delivered Henry to Peter Pan."

"Tamara!" Regina was losing her cool. "Where is my son?!"

Tamara began walking towards Regina now. "Henry's gone. We lost him long ago. _He_'s out get us all."

"What do you plan on doing with me?"

"I plan on getting rid of you, that's what. By getting rid of you, I'll be able to get closer to Henry, and soon enough, I'll get my reward."

Regina stood still, anticipating Tamara's attack. _I could use you now, David, or Mary Margaret_.

And so, Tamara attacked.

Regina backed until she was at the edge of the forest, hoping to reach David. Tamara swung first, but Regina blocked it. Tamara swung with her left arm, but Regina dodged it. Regina took her turn and went on the offensive. Once, twice, she connected with Tamara's jaw. Twice Tamara staggered back and lost her footing. It was this time when Regina decided to look up and into the waters. She saw the currents increasing.

Tamara took Regina by surprise by knocking her to the ground. Regina felt the blood dripping down the side of her head.

"Tamara, what's going on?"

"It's the mermaids. They know we're here," Tamara gave her a wicked laugh. "They've found their prey."

_Cannibal mermaids, just wonderful_. Regina stood to face the woman.

Tamara ran to Regina, finishing her attack, but fell to the ground at midpoint. Regina looked and saw that David had come from the right side and dealt a rock to her head.

"It's about time," Regina said.

"We wanted to find a way to take her out quick," David said. "She won't be unconscious for long though, so we have to get out of here."

"Where's Mary Margaret?"

"She's right behind -," David turned around, but Mary Margaret was nowhere to be seen.

"Mary Margaret!" David began to panic.

"There!" Regina pointed to the other side of the clearing, where Mary Margaret was attempting to fend off two mermaids.

Regina and David rushed to her aid. Regina looked to the ground, hoping to find the sharpest bone she could see.

_Do the mermaids talk?_

"What do you want from us?" Regina asked out loud to the mermaids.

"We want your flesh," one of the mermaids hissed. "One of you must come to us, and we will leave."

_Tamara_.

"Mary Margaret, drag Tamara's body over here!" Regina instructed.

She nodded and went off to get Tamara's body. The mermaid in front of her reached out their hand in attempt to grab hold of Regina, but she batted the arm away.

"Hurry, Regina!" Mary Margaret called out, struggling to hold Tamara. "I can't carry her for much longer!"

David saw Mary Margaret struggling, so he left both mermaids to Regina temporarily. "Give her to me!"

Mary Margaret willingly passed Tamara's unconscious body to David, then staggered back, catching her breath. David turned and ran past Regina and to the waters.

"Hurry, David, I can't hold them off any longer," Regina said.

David mustered all his strength within him and threw Tamara's body as far out as possible. The mermaids stopped and turned, smelling the scent of blood in their territory.

"Thank you, humans, for your gift," the mermaids hissed.

Regina watched as they swam off in hunger for Tamara.

"David," Regina put a hand on his shoulder. "We have to go. Henry's still out there."

David nodded and ran over to Mary Margaret. "We need to keep going. We can't stop."

The three gathered their remaining courage and took off.

Emma:

"There's only one set of footsteps," Emma said, trying to hear whatever she could from the room underneath.

"It's only Felix," Wendy told her. "Whenever he's angry, he comes here alone."

"Is he going to come in here?" Hook asked.

"Soon, so you two go and hide in the shadows behind the stairs. He won't see you there," Wendy instructed. "This won't take long."

Emma grabbed Hook's hand and guided him back into the shadows.

She watched as Wendy waited patiently at the foot of the stairs. The door opened, revealing a pair of footsteps that slowly approached Wendy.

"Wendy," Felix spoke. "Did you let people in here?"

"Why would I do that? You know I can't unlock that door," Wendy replied innocently.

Felix took a deep breath and descended into the room. He stood only centimeters away from Wendy. He looked at her suspiciously before turning around and walking behind the stairs.

Emma's breath hitched when she saw Felix coming their way. She felt Hook clamp his hand over her mouth to prevent her from making any more noise. _Will he see us?_ Emma desperately thought of an escape plan in case Felix saw them.

She watched intently as Felix made his way behind the stairs, standing only a few inches to her left. Hook pulled her closer and guided her with him to the corner of the room, the darkest part. Emma lost her footing and nearly slipped, kicking a stray stone in the process. _Fuck_.

"What was that?" Felix asked aloud. He instinctively took a match and lit it. We turned around, bringing light to the shadows. He turned around and faced the corner where Emma and Hook waited.

"I told you," Wendy sassed. "There's no one here."

Felix grunted and blew on the match, extinguishing the light. "Upstairs, now."

Wendy sighed and slowly climbed up the stairs. Felix didn't have any patience left. He pushed her forward, urging her to move faster.

Emma looked up and waited until the Wendy and Felix were gone.

"How did they not see us?" Emma wondered.

"It was your magic," Hook guessed. "You probably turned us invisible."

"Either way, we need to find out what's going on."

"How are we going to do that? Felix will see us."

"Easy, we just put our ears on the door."

"Great plan, girl wonder," Hook mocked as he followed Emma up the stairs.

Emma turned and gave Hook a playful smack on his head.

Wendy:

She stood patiently over the trapdoor, waiting for whatever punishment Felix had in mind.

"We still haven't found the boy," Felix always vented to her. "It's taking too long. We should've had him by now. _He_'s angry with us. _He_ thinks we've given up."

"It's not my fault," Wendy's learned to stand her ground after all of the years she'd been there.

Felix yelled in outrage and stormed to Wendy. Wendy closed her eyes, knowing what was coming next.

She felt the burn on her cheek the minute Felix slapped her. She held her ground and struggled not to flinch. She kept her eyes closed and took a deep breath.

"What's wrong, Wendy?" Felix taunted. "Why won't you look at me?"

Wendy opened her eyes and found Felix's face only inches from hers. "You constantly take your anger out on me. Why does it matter?"

Felix stood and pushed her to the ground. He kicked her in the stomach without any mercy. "I brought you here because I know you love it here! I brought you here to protect you from Peter Pan! Can you not appreciate that?"

Wendy coughed up the blood in her mouth before turning to face Felix. She clutched her stomach to cease the pain. "You brought me here for your pleasure! You never cared for me! I wish you killed me when you killed my parents! I hate you!"

Felix hauled her up and slapped her once more. He threw her to the ground and spit on her. "I relieved you of your burdens, Wendy. I did you a favor."

Felix was shaking with rage. Wendy stayed on the floor, taking deep breaths to maintain her consciousness. "Are we done here?"

Felix hauled her up once more. He examined the bruise he gave her. Wendy felt his hand on her neck. His hand closed around her neck and tightened. Wendy felt the air leasving her system. Felix only squeezed more. Wendy struggled to keep her vision clear; she was fading in and out. She saw Felix smiling with pleasure as she endured the pain. She brought her hands up and placed them on Felix's. She tried to pry his hands off her neck, but did not succeed.

"Felix," she wheezed. "That's enough. Stop."

She watched Felix as he looked into her eyes. He saw the life leaving her eyes. He released her and stepped back, breathing heavily. Wendy dropped to her knees coughed up whatever blood was left in her mouth.

"Are we done here?" Wendy looked up at Felix, tears clouding her vision.

"I'm sorry, Wendy," he apologized. He walked forward, as if asking for her forgiveness.

Wendy stepped back. "Torturing me on a daily basis and then apologizing doesn't work, Felix."

She wiped the tears from her eyes and opened the trap door. "I'll see you soon, Felix."

She closed the trap door over her head. She stood momentarily and listened as Felix screamed in rage. _Kill me _now. She listened as he found loose objects in the room and threw them, breaking or shattering every bit.

"Oh, Felix."


	10. Escape

Chapter 10: Escape

Emma:

"Wendy, you're coming with us," Emma took her wrist. "Felix is gone, so we should be able to escape."

"When he finds out that I'm gone, he'll hunt me down and kill me," Wendy protested. "I can't."

"Do you want to leave Neverland or not?"

"Yes, but there's no way it'll happen."

"Just take a chance Wendy, there's nothing wrong with that."

She took a deep breath. "If I get caught, the both of you are going down with me."

"Agreed."

Emma walked up the stairs with Wendy following behind and Hook bringing up the rear. Emma slowly opened the trap door, checking to make sure everything was clear. Carefully, she inched out of the room below, discovering that an escape was within reach.

"Let's go," she waved to her two companions.

The three quickly made their move out of the Lost Boys' lair and into the night.

Henry:

"Where are we?" Henry asked, looking with interest at the maple tree. He wasn't interested with the idea that is had been burned to the ground, but the fact that there was still a faint light emanating from the remains of the tree.

"Pixie Hollow," Lily told him without turning around.

"And, what exactly are we doing here?"

"We're searching for pixie dust."

"Why?"

She turned around and looked at Henry. "Pixie dust is the only thing that will save you from _him_."

Henry shook his head. "I still don't understand."

"You'll understand eventually. Pixie dust doesn't just work for flying."

Henry only sighed and left the subject. "I can't wait to meet the fairies."

"Oh, the fairies are gone. They've been gone for some time now."

"Wait, what happened?"

Tinker Bell:

_She could smell the smoke from the inside of her room. She jerked her head up and looked in all directions, trying to determine the location of the smoke. Quickly, she rose and flew to the Heart of Pixie Hollow. _

_ "Queen Clarion!" Tinker Bell cried. _

_ The queen approached at a record-breaking pace. "We need to leave, now. Gather the fairies. We're leaving Neverland."_

_ Tinker Bell nodded and took off. She flew through all areas of the tree rooms, alerting as many fairies as possible. Eventually, she made it back to her room and gathered as many things as possible. _

_ "Tinker Bell, let's go!" Fern flew by her room, urging Tinker Bell. "The tree tops are bound to collapse at any moment!" _

_ Tinker Bell grabbed a stray picture of herself and her sister, Periwinkle, then flew out of her room. She raced with Fern through the trees until they were outside of the maple tree. Tinker Bell turned and saw how truly devastating the fire was. The flames engulfed the leaves and the branches. The fire was slowly making its way down to the center, their home._

_ "I hope everyone got out," Tinker Bell said as she watched the dying tree._

_ She flew with Fern to the line of fairies that were flying away into the sky. She flew higher to get a head count. When she was finished, she knew there was something wrong. There were two missing fairies. She searched the crowd once more._

_ Tinker Bell looked below and saw Vidia. "Vidia! Vidia!" _

_ She watched as Vidia looked up. "Tinker Bell, we don't have time for this!" _

_ "Queen Clarion is missing, so is Periwinkle! I have to go back!" _

_ "No!" _

_ Tinker Bell turned to fly back, but she was too late. The tree tops collapsed on their home, the flames reaching the tree trunk, swallowing the whole thing. She watched in horror and listened as she heard the screams._

_ "No!" she cried, tears streaming down her face._

_ The line of fairies stopped behind her when they heard to screams as well. They all turned and watched as their home died. _

They're –they're gone, _Tinker Bell inhaled, not bothering to wipe the tears. She felt one of her companions slowly pulling her away from Pixie Hollow. _

_ "There's nothing else we can do," she heard someone say. "Peter got what he wanted. He doesn't need us anymore." _

_ Tinker Bell continued staring at the burning tree as she was pulled away into the sky; she stared until the tree was only a faint, bright light._

_ The stars didn't come out that night._

Henry:

"Do you know where the fairies went?" he asked as he climbed through the rubble.

"All I remember from that night…I remember the fairies flying into the sky, and then disappearing," Lily sighed. She seemed to be searching for something.

"What are we going to find here? The only thing that's left is chunks that burned to the ground."

"Fairies kept their fairy dust in mini capsules. It kept the dust from disintegrating or drifting away."

"The fairies aren't coming back, are they?"

"Not a chance. No one knows where they went. It's been too long."

Henry sighed and continued searching. "Is Ariel going to be here?"

"Yeah, she should be here in a few minutes."

"It's convenient to have the tree so close to the ocean, I guess."

"I, I guess so," Lily remained concentrated on finding their treasure.

Henry made it to the center of the tree without any luck.

"Ariel's here," Lily announced when she heard the water increase its movement.

Henry turned and saw the red-headed girl approach from the ocean. He saw as she ran over to the two excitedly. "Guys, guys! I found pixie dust!"

"How?" Lily immediately dropped everything and joined Ariel.

"The mermaids. It turns out that Peter Pan gave some to the mermaids because he no longer needed any. I snuck into the castle when I was done getting our food. The king was gone at the time and the court was in session, so either way, the castle was empty anyway. This was the only capsule I found. I'm not sure how many more there are in the castle."

"Good work, Ariel. At least we've found one capsule," Lily watched as Ariel dropped the first capsule into one of her dress pockets. "Little Henry here doesn't know what pixie dust is used for."

"How is one capsule going to help us? There isn't much inside of it," Henry observed.

Ariel looked at him and smiled. "The amount of pixie dust inside of this capsule can cover our entire tree house, inside and out."

"But, how can you do anything with pixie dust? All it does is it lets you fly."

"Henry, pixie dust can be used for multiple things: life, death, health, food, water, anything. You need this pixie dust because you need to find a way to get rid of Peter Pan."

"Why am I the one that has to do this?" Henry asked.

"You're the one he wants, so you're the one that's going to kill him."

"I'm going to use pixie dust to kill Peter Pan."

"Believe what you want, but in the end, just remember to thank us."

"Let's just keep looking for the pixie dust," Lily brought Henry and Ariel's focus back to Pixie Hollow.

Henry sighed and thought of the possible way he could kill the shadow.


	11. More than Words

Chapter 11: More than Words

Emma:

"Where exactly would you find a little boy who was hiding on Neverland?" Emma asked Wendy as they were walking through the jungle.

"Is there a little boy here on Neverland?"

"Will you answer my question?"

Wendy looked at Emma. "I'm not sure I can tell you."

"And, why is that?"

"I've only known you and Hook for a couple of hours. For all I know, you could be kidnapping me and bringing me to someone worse than Peter Pan."

"We just rescued you from the Lost Boys," Emma said in disbelief. "What more do you want from us to prove that we're on your side?"

"I don't know," Wendy replied. "I just don't know how I'm supposed to trust you guys."

"We'll both tell you a secret, and you tell us a secret of yours," Hook interrupted. "We can start like that."

"You first," Wendy offered.

Hook looked at Emma and laughed. He turned back and looked at Wendy. "Alright…once upon a time, a young princess accompanied me in climbing a beanstalk. I thought we'd made some sort of 'partnership' when we were there, but she ended up leaving me because she couldn't trust me. She knew that I was able to see behind her mask, she knew I was the first one in a long time…I called her an open book.

"Ever since she'd left me, I couldn't get her out of my mind. It wasn't until this woman helped me escape from the beanstalk I had hopes of seeing her again. I made it to her homeland with my new friend, and it hurt so much just knowing that I was the bad guy in her eyes. I don't think she ever knew, but, by keeping up the bad guy act, I knew that it was the only way I could get her to talk to me. Everyone wants to stand up to the bad guy, right? But, I'm still not sure that she'll understand or believe that the bad guy isn't in me. I don't know how to prove it to her.

"To this day, I still can't get her out of my mind."

By the time Hook was done telling his story, the jungle was so quiet, it was probable that they could hear a dew drop from miles away. Emma wasn't even looking at Wendy or Hook in fear that they would see her watering eyes.

"What's her name?" Wendy asked who was moved by the tale. She felt sorry for Hook.

"Lass, that I will not tell," Hook said.

"Emma," Wendy turned –she missed the smile on Hook's face –and looked at her. "What's your secret?"

Emma sighed and closed her eyes for a moment. She turned to Wendy and told her. "I…"

She faltered, trying to figure out what to say out loud. She thought for a moment then spoke. "I was born in a land of magic, kind of like this, but it wasn't filled with this kind of dark magic. I was sent away from that land, though, the day I was born to the same world as yours –Earth. I didn't find my family until I got to Storybrooke. They left our home for Earth and, I've lived there for twenty-eight years.

"I have a son. His father was my first love, but he was also the first to break my heart. I had to raise my son without him and it wasn't until recently that my son met his father. And, I want my son to have some sort of father in his life because my family wants to go back to our homeland, and I want to go back too with my son. My son told me too that he wanted his father to come along with us."

At this point, Emma had come so close to letting the tears spill, but she hugged herself and kept going. "The problem is, though, my son's father died before they even got to know each other well enough, before we were going to go back to our homeland. It hurt just telling him, believe me, but it hurt even more when my son was kidnapped. I've been searching for him for days, but I still haven't found him."

Emma turned around and looked up at the sky. She took a deep breath and felt tears slowly rolling down her face. Even though she told one of her saddest stories, she still smiled at the sight above her.

The stars were out that night and illuminated all of Neverland.

She felt a comforting hand on her shoulder, but she didn't turn around for the sake of not wanting to reveal her tears.

It was a while, though, before Wendy spoke.

"If there was a boy here on this island, he'd either be with Peter Pan by now, or he would've been found by Ariel and Tiger Lily. If he was found by Ariel and Tiger Lily, then he's being hidden and protected."

Emma turned slowly, not caring about her tears anymore. "Where would you find Tiger Lily and Ariel?"

"That part, I'm not entirely sure."

"Do you have any idea where to start?"

"Nope."

"They won't be by the water," Hook said. He turned and looked at Emma for the first time since they finished telling their stories. "Ariel's family was killed. She wouldn't even think of living near the waters."

"Who's Ariel?" Emma asked out loud.

"You, love, know her as the Little Mermaid."

"They won't be by the Indian Camp either because Lily's the only surviving member of the tribe," Wendy said.

"That leaves the jungle," Emma said, wiping her face with her sleeve.

"They've most likely made some sort of tree house," Wendy suggested, "but it'll be well hidden."

"So, we stay here in the jungle then?" Emma asked.

"Yeah."

Emma turned to being looking for tree houses, but Wendy grabbed her hand.

"Your son, he's on this island, isn't he?"

Emma sighed. "Yeah."

Henry:

"Was there ever a time when this land wasn't filled with dark magic?" Henry asked aloud.

The three made it back to the tree house without being seen.

"There was a time, actually," Ariel swallowed the remains of the fish she was eating, "when dark magic was completely eliminated from Neverland."

"What happened?"

Ariel sighed. "Do you want the long story or the short story?"

"I have time," Henry smiled.

Ariel only laughed.

"The last boy that was brought here was so long ago, the fairies were still here in Neverland. He wasn't the boy that Peter Pan wanted –he wasn't _you_ –so he was kept in the same place where all the other boys were kept, dead or alive. Well, he happened to meet two other children, John and Michael. The three came up with the plan that the shadow somehow needed to be controlled. Baelfire –that was the boy's name –came up with the idea that the shadow could even be controlled. They were ready to set their plan into action, but then Wendy came along, John and Michael's sister. Bae –that's what we called him –never told us what happened or how it happened, but Wendy, Michael, and John were taken one day and he never saw them again. So, he had to do the entire operation by himself.

"Peter Pan is almost impossible to capture. The only way to confront him is to break into his lair, and that's exactly what Bae did. Tiger Lily found him and she helped him break in. According to Lily, it took them months to figure it out, but he succeeded. We don't know what happened after Bae broke into Peter's lair, but it didn't take long until he figured out how to control the shadow. So, technically, Bae is Peter Pan, the good one…I wish he never left."

"Why did he leave?" Henry asked.

"No one knows. Word is, someone saw him leave the lair with pixie dust. After that, he just left."

"So, no one knows how Bae came to control the shadow and no one knows how he escaped Neverland or why he even left?"

"Precisely."

Henry turned and watched as Tiger Lily stirred in her bed. "Lily told you all of this?"

"Yeah, she told me on one of the days that we were in here."

Henry only nodded. _My father is Peter Pan_.

"Is something wrong, Henry?" Ariel asked.

"Nothing, I'm just thinking," he smiled back to her.

The Fairies:

"Tinker Bell!" a fairy came whizzing into her little area panicking. "Someone's found us!"

* * *

**I know it's been a while ever since I've uploaded, and I apologize for that. I went cross-country road tripping and I completely forgot to bring my laptop with me -rookie mistake! But here's the next chapter. I know some of you...probably many or all of you...may not be happy with this idea and that's completely fine with me. But my younger sister, who also watches the show, read this fanfic and she told me of her "OUAT theory" of how Bae could potentially be Peter Pan. So, she came up with this ridiculous idea and asked me to put it in this fanfic. Being the loving older sister, I couldn't tell her no, so there you go. **

**Thank you for staying with me and being patient. I really do appreciate it. As always, thank you for the reviews...keep reviewing. No hate comments please, if you can help it. Constructive criticism. **

**Thank you again :) **


	12. The Third Collision

Chapter 12: The Third Collision

Felix:

"Master, we've been trailing the group for a while now. It seems as if they're looking for something or…someone," Felix said while looking down at his feet.

There was a pause.

"And, who are these people you speak of?" a raspy voice spoke.

"We are not sure; we've never seen them on the island before. They dress like pirates, yet they do not act as they are dressed."

"How many are there?"

"Three. One man and two women."

Peter Pan only laughed. "Bring them to me."

Felix bowed and walked away from his master. Before reaching for the door handle, he turned and spoke once more.

"Captain Hook is here too, but I haven't come across his a second time."

Peter Pan laughed once more. "When and where was the last time you saw him?"

"I'm certain that it's been almost a week. We found him in his ship. He seemed to be by himself though; he didn't have his crew on board."

Peter Pan growled. "When you're finished with your first task, find Hook. Bring him to me too."

"There's a good chance he's already gone."

"Felix, I have a feeling that the captain won't be leaving for a while."

Felix was silent and waited.

"You may go now."

Felix nodded once more and left the chamber.

Hook:

Emma had barely spoken to him, let alone look at him ever since they returned to the jungle. He could only steal glances at her, hoping that she would notice him. But, Emma had gone back to ignoring him.

"Have either of you seen any tree houses?" Wendy spoke up.

"Nothing," was all Emma said. Hook couldn't determine why Emma kept her focus on the stars.

"This is hopeless," Wendy threw her hands up in defeat. "We'll never find one."

"Don't give up just yet, lass," Hook said, looking up at a cluster of trees in front of him.

"We've been walking for hours, though, and we haven't found anything!" Wendy whined, but Hook ignored her.

He took a deep breath and made his way to Emma. He placed a hand on her back, and guided her to where he was previously standing.

"Emma," he leaned over and whispered to her, his lips carefully brushing her cheek. He motioned to the trees in front of them. "Tell me what you see."

Emma remained stiff at his touch. He could tell that she struggled to find her voice, but he waited.

"I -," she stuttered. He watched as she actually looked at the image and try to figure out what he was saying. "It's…it's a worn tree house."

"Where?" Wendy jumped to her feet.

"It's not even possible that they could be in there. The entire tree house would collapse if we even touched it," Emma observed.

"There's no harm in checking," Hook smiled.

Emma sighed and shook her head. Hook watched as she stubbornly walked to the broken tree house.

Emma:

She looked up at the remains. _There's no way this is possible_.

She closed her eyes and put all her focus on the tree house. Using her will, she opened her eyes and watched as the broken tree house reassembled itself back to its original form.

She proceeded to the newly assembled tree house and examined it. There was no ladder or trap door for the entrance. There were no windows. The wood showed to be decaying with age. Yet, she was beginning to feel some other source radiating from the structure.

_This thing's made from magic_.

"This isn't what the tree house is supposed to look like," Emma said out loud.

"What do you mean?" Hook asked, crossing his arms.

"There's a different form of magic that's radiating from this thing," Emma replied as she began looking at the ground, searching for something.

"What is it that you're looking for?" Wendy asked, approaching Emma.

"A stick, something long enough to reach the tree house," Emma said, now frantically searching.

Without hesitation, Hook and Wendy began doing the same as Emma.

"Here!" Wendy yelled, some ten feet away from Emma and Hook.

Emma watched as Wendy hauled a log over.

"Hook!" Emma yelled at him. "Go, and help her!"

Hook ran over to Wendy and took the log from her. "What do you supposed she'll make us do?" he whispered to Wendy.

"I'm kind of scared," Wendy laughed quietly.

Emma paid no attention to the two and began speaking once more. "We need to use the log to break the bottom of the tree house open, or at least to find some sort of door since there's no ladder for us to use."

Hook only laughed as he brought the log over to where Emma stood. Emma took the log from Hook and hoisted the bottom onto her shoulder.

"Impressive," Hook watched.

Emma smirked as she pushed the log in an upward motion, causing it to hit the bottom of the tree house. Nothing changed. She tried once more, but in a different spot.

"There!" Hook said as a small crack appeared.

Emma brought the log back down onto her shoulder, looking at the area where Hook pointed. And, sure enough, a small crack formed, but Emma squinted and blinked. _That can't be possible_.

"It looks like there's light on the inside," she told Hook.

She dropped the log and looked around for Wendy. "Wendy, come here."

Wendy reluctantly walked to Emma and Hook.

"Here," Emma created a step with her hand. "Hook, help me get her up so she can crack that spot open."

Hook followed Emma's motions and helped Wendy up. And, soon enough, she was standing on their shoulders. Carefully balancing the girl, Hook and Emma watched as the girl felt her way around the bottom of the structure.

"Stop!" Wendy yelled to the two. "There's something here!"

"What is it?" Emma looked up and asked.

"It…it feels like a latch," Wendy tried the handle. She almost fell to the ground when she heard it click.

Lily:

"Someone knows we're here," Lily suddenly sat up in her bed.

"What?" Henry asked, turning around to face her.

"The tree house," Lily said, looking out the window. "Someone's put it back to the original way."

"Well," Ariel began to stand, "what do we do?"

Lily hopped off her bed and walked to the chest at the end of it. Henry and Ariel watched as she pulled out a spear. "We wait, of course. If it's Felix and the Lost Boys, we attack."

Ariel only nodded. She walked over to an identical chest that rested at the foot of her own bed. Henry watched as she pulled out a golden trident.

"Is that…," Henry pointed.

"I know, I couldn't believe it when my father gave it to me."

"Get ready," Lily instructed.

Lily and Ariel turned to face the ground door while Henry backed away to the furthest corner.

Lily placed her spear in launching position, ready to attack.

The three held their breaths as the door slowly opened. A girl's head popped into the tree house.

Lily's eyes grew wide with shock. "Wendy?"

Wendy turned and saw her friend. "Lily?"

Lily watched as Wendy looked below her. Soon enough, Wendy was hoisted into the tree house.

"I have two other people with me, Lily," Wendy told her. "I need something to get them up here."

"Yes," Lily began looking around. "Ariel, could you please lower the rope down?"

Lily turned and saw Ariel glaring at Wendy.

"Ariel, not now, please," Lily pleaded.

Ariel only ignored her and found the rope. Within the next five minutes, Emma and Hook were in the tree house.

Emma frantically turned and searched the entire tree house until she found the person she was looking for.

"Henry!"

Lily watched as Henry rushed to the blonde woman.

Mary Margaret:

"Regina," she placed a hand on Regina's shoulder. "I think someone's following us."

"If someone were following us, I would've noticed by now," she retorted.

"But, David should've been back by now."

"He'll find his way back, don't worry."

The two continued walking forward, but Mary Margaret turned just in time.

She pulled on Regina's sleeve. "Regina, it's Felix. He's coming this way!"

Regina turned and saw that Mary Margaret was right. "Run!"

"But, what about David?"

"He'll find us!"

The two turned around, but were stopped and met by two lost boys.

Regina and Mary Margaret made the attempt to run around the two, but they were pushed to the ground.

"Excellent job, Link!" Felix yelled out as he approached.

Mary Margaret sat up and saw that they were surrounded.

"Your other friend was lost, so we helped him find is way back," Felix looked at her.

"What did you do with him?" Mary Margaret asked, nervous.

"Let's just say he's making quite a friendship with Peter Pan," Felix laughed. "Take them."

Mary Margaret looked around frantically for Regina, but in an instant, her vision went black.


	13. The Truth

Chapter 13: The Truth

Emma:

The greetings and the tears were gone as the group settled in the tree house.

"How exactly did you end up here?" Emma was sitting with Henry at the foot of Lily's bed.

"I kind of escaped from Tamara and Greg, but I passed out somewhere in the jungle."

"I found him," Ariel pointed out. Emma noticed that Ariel never took her eyes off of Wendy and Hook, who were seated opposite of Henry and Emma.

"I don't know how many times I have to say thank you," Emma said sincerely. "Without you, I don't think Henry would've survived."

She saw as a small smile flickered across the girl's face.

"Henry's stayed with us for a while now," Lily informed them.

"And," Ariel interrupted, "how and where did you find Wendy?"

"Well," Hook stared down the young mermaid. "Emma and I decided that we would break into the Lost Boys' lair to see if we could find Henry or anything at all that would help us. And, while we were there, we found the door that led to Wendy's room. We didn't want to leave her there, so we took her with us."

Emma quickly noted to herself that there was tension growing between the girl and the captain.

"There's also something else you should know," Lily spoke when Hook finished. "Well, it's just that…"

"Yes?" Emma looked at her expectantly.

"Don't get mad when I tell you this, but…Peter Pan wants Henry. Henry's the boy he's been searching for."

Emma's eyes grew wide as she felt her jaw drop. Hook stood up. Wendy only took a deep breath.

"What do you mean?" Emma asked, ready to fire questions at the two girls. "How do you know? Who told you? Do you have proof?"

"Whoa, whoa, whoa," Hook walked over and took a seat next to her. He placed a hand on her shoulder. "Calm down, let the girls explain."

"We don't know why Henry is wanted; we haven't been able to figure that part out," Lily said slowly. "All we've been doing is hiding him so he wouldn't be found."

"He told us that you guys were on the island," Ariel continued. "So, instead of waiting here in the tree house, we helped him prepare in case he ever had to face Peter Pan himself. And, now that you guys are here, you can take him and go home."

"We can't go home yet!" It was Henry's turn to speak. "We can't leave the others behind!"

"We don't even know where they're at," Emma looked up at him.

"That's why we have to find them, right now," Henry crossed his arms.

"When we find them, what will happen then?" Hook looked up at the determined boy. "We don't even have a way to leave Neverland."

"You've been here before; shouldn't you know how to leave?"

"My crew and I found a magic bean in Peter's lair. That experience is something I don't want to go through again, so no; I don't know an escape route."

"Use this star," Lily said, revealing the star she'd first showed to Henry.

"What is that?" Emma asked.

"It's the star that the fairies created, one of the three entrances to Neverland," Lily explained. "We found it in here when we found the tree house."

"How do you know it works?"

"We don't," Ariel sighed.

Lily cocked her head to the side. "You're right. I take back what I said. I don't want to mess with this thing until we know exactly what it can do."

Emma was about to speak when Wendy took the spot light. "What about the pixie dust?"

Emma looked at Hook, as if he was about to explain.

"You really don't know anything about Neverland, do you love?" he mocked her.

She responded by giving him a playful push. "It's not my fault this is my first time here!"

"Pixie dust," Wendy interrupted, "allows people to fly. So, why not fly out of Neverland?"

"How would you know where to go?" Ariel spat at the girl.

"I was only making a suggestion!" Wendy's voice was getting louder.

"No one asked you to speak in the first place!" Ariel replied to her.

Wendy closed her eyes. "No one asked you to be here."

Ariel stood up from her bed, livid. "Take that back!"

"You know exactly what I said!" Wendy was yelling at her. "And, you know exactly what I meant!"

"How would you know anything?" Ariel asked. She didn't see Emma stand and walk over to Henry.

"I've been in the Lost Boys' lair for quite some time and I can hear everything they say!"

Emma bent over and whispered to Henry. "Would you like to leave this place now?"

"We have to take Lily with us," his eyes gestured over to the third girl who was trying to get around Ariel and Wendy.

Hook walked to Emma and Henry. "I'd say now is a good time to leave."

"Agreed," a voice said behind him.

The three jumped from surprise to see Lily standing with them.

Lily looked at Hook. "It seems that she still sees you as a brother."

"Well, nothing's changed," he sighed.

The four of them were ready to open the door when a pillow soared past Emma's head. "You guys are going to leave me with her?"

Emma turned and saw tears in Wendy's eyes.

"We -."

"Oh, no one's going anywhere," Ariel cried.

"Ariel, what do you mean?" Emma looked at her. She stepped back when she held a jar in her hand, the same jar that held the fairies' star. "What are you doing?"

Ariel didn't even say a word when she threw the jar to the ground.

The last thing Emma heard was little pieces of glass falling to the floor.

Then, the light took over.

Peter Pan and the Lost Boys:

"Well done, Felix," Peter Pan spoke when he saw the Lost Boys dragging in two more prisoners.

Peter Pan only smirked when he heard the man cry out.

"Silence!" he roared, and David's mouth was shut.

"They'll wake up soon, I'm afraid," Felix informed Peter Pan.

"Where did you find them?"

"They were out by the Indian Camp."

Peter Pan watched as one of the prisoners began to stir. "She reminds me of someone I've seen before."

He turned and walked to the table. Reaching for a picture, he turned around and faced David.

"Now," he laughed as he watched David struggle from resisting the pain, "when I remove the charm from you, you are to answer everything I ask you."

David only glared at him through his watered eyes.

"I will never help you!"

Peter Pan stood at full height and glared at David. He watched as the man screamed in agony. "I could kill you right now."

One of the Lost Boys took David's head and forced him to look at the shadow.

Peter Pan took the mini portrait and revealed it to David. He watched as David's eyes grew wide in shock.

"So, you know who this boy is; where is he?"

"I don't know!"

"Liar!" Peter Pan cried. David felt the shadow's anger flow through his body, piercing him with pain with every word that was spoken.

"I haven't seen him in months," David said sincerely, hoping that the shadow wouldn't say anything else. Of course, he was wrong.

"Is he on this island?"

"I don't know."

David felt as if his skin was being ripped off of his body. He looked down and saw that he'd paled over the past ten minutes.

"If you don't tell me everything you know about this boy," Peter Pan threatened, "I will kill your two friends right here, right now."

"No!" David's voice was begging. "Please, kill me instead!"

"No," the shadow chuckled. "That would be too easy for you. So, tell me, who is this boy?"

David closed his eyes, but opened them again when he heard Felix drop to the ground.

Peter Pan turned and saw one of the women standing with a sword in her hand.

"Let him go," she growled.

Peter Pan sneered as he inflicted pain on David once more. "You killed Felix, did you?"

Mary Margaret ran over to David, trying to calm him down. She pressed a hand to his chest, but almost immediately she took her hand back.

"What are you doing to him?" she stared down at her bloodied hand.

"He chooses not to speak so I choose to torture him," Peter Pan calmly told her.

She looked back and saw that David lost his consciousness.

"What do you want from us?"

Peter Pan showed Mary Margaret the picture.

"We don't know where he is," she said.

"I don't believe you."

"Well, believe us. You won't get anywhere if you continue asking us questions."

Peter Pan growled and saw ready to kill but stopped. A blinding flash of light filled the chamber. Mary Margaret didn't close her eyes in time. Within seconds, she fell to the ground, unconscious.

The light seemed to last for ages before in disappeared.

The Lost Boys opened their eyes once more. Peter Pan didn't move a muscle throughout the process. If the shadow had a visible face, anyone would've been able to see the smile of triumph revealed on his face.

"To think that Felix was a good servant," he chuckled.

"I found them," he listened as a girl stood up. She faced him and smiled.

"Well done, Ariel."


	14. A Rush of Blood to the Head

Chapter 14: A Rush of Blood to the Head

Emma:

She looked at her surroundings, as if she couldn't accept what had just happened.

"Ariel…where are we?" Emma asked, trying to keep herself composed.

"I didn't have any other choice," she heard Ariel's voice quivering. "It was part of the deal."

"Hook," she shook her companion's arm. "Where are we?"

"We're," Emma watched as Hook lifted his head. "Ariel betrayed us, that's what. She brought us to bloody Peter Pan."

Emma looked straight ahead and saw what looked like a shadow.

The shadow sensed that Emma was looking at it. "Yes, Emma. I am Peter Pan, or what's left of me."

Emma heard Hook whisper to his in a barely audible tone. Emma barely nodded her head in agreement. She listened as Peter Pan continued his introduction.

"As you know, I'm looking for a boy, and from my understanding, the negotiations I made with Ariel indicate that the boy is with you…where is he?"

"Before I say anything," Emma held her hand up from where she was sitting, "I'd like to know what happened between you and Ariel, and why she suddenly went over to your side."

"That is not important," Peter Pan replied.

"If you don't tell me what happened, I won't tell you where the boy is," Emma played it cool. She looked behind Peter Pan and saw her parents crumpled on the floor. To her left, she saw a dead Felix.

"Where are the rest of your Lost Boys?" Emma asked out loud.

"They're outside, guarding the entrance," Emma decided that the shadow was now laughing. "There's no escape from here. If neither of you hand the boy over, I'll just have to kill both of you."

"Tell me what happened."

The shadow roared and flew over to Emma and Hook, stopping only inches from Emma's face.

"You will do as I say," Peter Pan growled. "So, where is the boy?"

She knew Peter Pan would try to do something to her or Hook, so she stood her ground and watched him.

"You're a brave girl, you know," the shadow laughed, "acting as if the pan isn't affecting you. You'll feel the torture soon enough."

"I don't know what pain you're talking about, honestly."

Peter Pan stepped back and looked at Emma. "What are you talking about?"

"I can't feel anything."

Peter Pan cried out and lunged for Emma's throat.

She wasn't prepared for his move, so she didn't have time to react. The second she left the cold shadow wrap around her next, her vision went black.

Ariel:

_ "What do you want from me?" Ariel looked up from the shore._

_ "I need you to do me a favor," the shadow laughed._

_ "Why would I do anything for you? You left me without a family, remember?" _

_ "Of course I remember," Peter Pan hissed. "Don't tempt me to kill you too when I haven't even gotten to my point." _

_ "I don't want to talk to you. You're a waste of time," Ariel waved him off and prepared to go back to the ocean. Just as she was ready to jump, she felt a painful force pulling on her next, cutting her breath short. The shadow watched in joy as the young mermaid struggled to free herself from his hold. He watched as the mermaid truly was running out of breath, as if she was ready to join the rest of her family. _

_ Just at the last moment, he released her. _

_ "If you try to escape one more time, you'll see your parents faster than you can say your own name," Peter Pan threatened. _

_ Ariel tried to stop herself from coughing up the excess blood that was now rushing up her throat. She took deep breaths and tried to recompose herself. _

_ "What more do you want from me?" Ariel looked up at Peter Pan. She cried out, "You've already taken everything from me! You've broken me!" _

_ "But that's the thing, I can give back what I took away from you, you fool!" Peter Pan sneered. "Your family is all you want. I'll give them back to you!" _

_ Silence followed._

_ "How do I know I can trust you?" _

_ "I'm more powerful than you think I am."_

_ "Yeah, I think I know that now." _

_ "Don't sass with me!" Ariel felt another invisible force push her to the ground. "Do we have a deal?"_

_ "Tell me what I need to do first." _

_ "Ah, I've changed my mind. I want to make sure I have your word first." _

_ Ariel continued to look up at the enemy. "You said you could bring my parents back. What do you mean by that?"_

_ "It's exactly what I mean. The words speak for themselves."_

_ Ariel took a deep breath. _If I do this, I could see my parents again; I could live with them again.

_ "Fine, I'll do it," she reluctantly pledged herself to Peter Pan._

_ "Excellent," the shadow laughed. _

_ "Now, what do I need to do?" _

_ "I want you to befriend Tiger Lily. She just help that Baelfire boy escape from Neverland. She knows everything."_

_ "So what, she knows everything. What's so special about that?" _

_ "You know very well that I'm looking for a certain boy. Only Tiger Lily knows my secrets. Why? Because Baelfire told her everything. She's the one that got him to take over my shadow in the first place. If anything she's probably the second most powerful person in Neverland." _

_ "You don't get what I'm saying though," Ariel argued. "If anything, you're just taking words and just twisting them into sentences that don't make sense." _

_ Peter Pan roared. "The point is Tiger Lily knows who the boy is! If and when the boy gets to Neverland, Tiger Lily will take him in and care for him until his rescuers come to take him back to where he came from! When you befriend Tiger Lily, I want you to befriend the boy. I want you to lure them into thinking they're safe. And, at the most unexpected moment, I want you to bring them to me." _

_ "How will I get them to you? When they discover that we're walking to your lair, they'll suspect that something is wrong."_

_ "You underestimate me too much, mermaid…the tree house that she stays in used to belong to Felix and his brother, Link. When I found them, I recruited them and I gave them a new home. After I killed Tiger Lily's tribes, she found the tree house. Well, there is a star in the house that serves as an entrance to Neverland. If I can remember correctly, it was created by the fairies. Well, I took the star and I concealed it in a jar. It no longer serves as an entrance to Neverland, but an entrance to my lair. And, I assume that Tiger Lily has seen the star because it sits on the nightstand between the two tree house beds. The star will take you directly to me." _

_ "Do I just open the jar and let the star do its work?"_

_ "Precisely. Anymore questions?"_

_ "How did you manage to steal the star?"_

_ "I cannot tell you the secrets to my success." _

_ Ariel only rolled her eyes._

_ "Before you leave, I want you to update me with your work every so often, since it's not easy to tell time here in Neverland." _

_ "Can you tell time here, in Neverland?" _

_ "I've lived here my entire life. It was the second thing I learned to do." _

_ "Who else knows how to tell time here?" _

_ "The Lost Boys and that bastard Captain Hook are the only ones that can tell time here."_

_ Ariel only nodded her head in response. She was ready once more to go back to the ocean when she felt a pressure on her forehead._

_ "What was that?" _

_ "Whenever you decide to go on land, you now the ability to change your tail into proper human legs and feet." _

_ This was the first time Ariel smiled in a long time. "You mean, I can live and interact with humans?" _

_ "Yes, now stop smiling and go back home," Peter Pan waved her off._

_ "Oh, thank you!" she couldn't stop smiling, even as she swam back into the depths of the ocean. _

Emma:

Her eyes fluttered open and found herself looking at the faceless shadow.

"How did that happen?"

"It seems as if you also have a vast amount of power," Peter Pan laughed. "You could be of use here on Neverland."

Emma only shrank back and stayed close to Hook.

"Ariel, since this girl won't give me the boy, bring him to me!"

"Uh, I don't know where they are," Ariel looked around, beginning to panic.

Peter Pan snapped his head and faced Ariel. "What are you talking about?"

Emma sat up and looked around. Sure enough, Tiger Lily and Henry were nowhere to be seen. She leaned back down and whispered to Hook. "Do you know where Lily and Henry went?"

"What do you mean?" Hook looked at her, puzzled.

"They're not here. I don't know where they are."


	15. Pre-Game

Chapter 15: Pre-Game

Henry:

He remained silent next to Tiger Lily; the hidden alcove in the back of the room proved to be the perfect hiding spot. He watched as Emma went limp at Peter Pan's touch. Henry desperately wanted to run out to his mother, but Lily held him back with regret.

"Don't worry, he's only showing her a memory," she reassured him.

"How do you know?"

"The same thing happened to Baelfire. He told me when we got out of this place...but, it was so long ago," she hung her head.

"How long will it take until she regains consciousness?"

"It depends on how strong the memory is. If it's too powerful, it might overwhelm her, but if not, she should be awake the minute it's done."

Henry watched patiently as he waited. During the time, he took the time in inspect the lair. To the right side, he saw what looked like a pathetic attempt at a wooden lounging chair matched with a worn bookcase. There were no books in the bookcase, though. To his left, he saw a staircase -Henry only assumed that it went back into the jungle. Behind Peter Pan was a wooden table with one bench, and all he could see were the scattered and torn papers that covered the table top. He let his eyes roam the entire back wall when a small movement caught his eye. Next to the wooden table, Henry saw two figures sprawled on the ground.

"Hey, Lily," he nudged her.

She almost jumped out of the alcove. She whispered, "Don't scare me like that!"

"What did I do?" Henry resisted the urge to laugh.

"Nevermind! What did you want?"

"See those two people next to the table over there?" he pointed it out, "can you tell me what they look like?"

He watched as Lily squinted her eyes. "There's a woman, she's barely conscious because she keeps making small and subtle movements. She has black hair, pale skin, and she seems about the same height as Emma."

_Mary Margaret_.

"Can you tell what the other person looks like?"

"Yeah," she continued to squint, "it's a man, but he's unconscious. I can't tell how long he's been out though. There's blood all over his body."

_David_.

"We need to rescue them, too, Lily."

"Why? We don't even know them."

"You don't know them, but I do," he corrected. "They're my grandparents."

Lily reconsidered her words and could only agree with Henry.

She grabbed his arm suddenly and pointed. "Look, Emma's stirring!"

Henry diverted his attention back to the blonde woman and watched intently.

Emma:

Emma began to stir as her head rolled to the side, resting on Hook's shoulder. Peter Pan jerked his hand back and floated back into the table. Emma's eyes flew open and she found herself staring into a pair of deep sea blue eyes. She looked back at Peter Pan. Angry at what she'd seen, she jumped up to her feet and stormed over to the shadow.

"You liar!" she screamed. She didn't see Hook's eyes grow wide. "Tell Ariel how you lied to her! Tell her how you will never bring her parents back because of the fact that bringing people back from the dead is beyond your powers!"

Emma felt Hook's agoing around her waist. He pulled her back, a safe distance away from the now-raging Peter Pan.

"Are you denying my powers?" Peter Pan sneered. He turned to Ariel. "Don't listen to her. She doesn't know what she's talking about."

Ariel raised her eye brows. "Bring my parents back. Now. I did everything you asked me to."

Peter Papuan faltered in his words. "You must wait until the process is done. Only then I can bring your parents back."

"What are they talking about?" Hook asked, his arm still snaked around Emma.

"Your friend here decided that he wanted to use Ariel to get Henry," Emma retorted, "but Peter Pan doesn't want to admit the fact that he lied to Ariel."

"You fool!" the shadow boomed.

"Why do you want Henry?" Emma asked. "He has nothing to do with this place."

"With his body, I can roam throughout all of the worlds, not just Neverland. I can have a home not only here, but in other realms with magic. I can finally have the chance to use my power!"

"You arrogant son of a bitch!" Emma cried. "You could've unjust used someone else, like one of your little Lost Boys!"

"No!" Peter Pan yelled in anger. "The boy that I seek, he has the magic and the power that will allow me to accomplish my feat. He has more power than any individmisfit hat exists within the worlds of magic! I have not figured out how or why, but he is the key to my success!"

All while Peter Pan was saying this, Emma's deface turned as white as a fresh sheet of paper. She backed up, desperately wanting to get away from the shadow, but she found herself back up into Hook.

She kept her eyes on Peter as guided Hook to the other side of the room, where the alcove was located. She leaned over to Hook, who was now covering the alcove entrance. She whispered to him, "We need to create a diversion."

"Why? We don't even know where Henry is at?"

"One of us needs to get Mary Margaret and David, and the other needs to protect Henry and Tiger Lily."

"We don't even know where Henry is at," Hook sounded wary.

"That's why you're in front of the alcove. You're blocking him and Tiger Lily from Peter Pan, so keep doing your job," she patted him playfully on the cheek. Hook only looked dumbfounded.

"I'm going to find a way to get Mary Margaret and David," she continued.

"But what about Ariel?" he whispered.

"We can't trust her anymore."

"I can."

"If she's still alive in the end, we'll take her."

Hook:

Hook couldn't say anything else as Emma began improvising. He watched as she moved away from him and walked back to Peter Pan. Hook unsheathed his sword, ready to fight.

"Psst, we're right behind you," a voice whispered from inside of the alcove.

"Yes, I know!" Hook whispered back to the two kids inside.

"Hook, we're ready to help you, you know," Tiger Lily reassured him.

Hook only shook his head and looked back to Emma. He looked in time to watch Emma dive to Mary Margaret's side. Hook scanned the room and saw that Peter Pan was nowhere to be seen.

"Emma!" he yelled from across the room.

"Stay there!" she responded to him.

"Where did Peter go?"

"I don't know! I found a knife on the table and I was ready to throw it, but he just dissolved!"

Hook pursed his lips, trying to decide whether or not to leave the kids.

"Go," it was as if Henry read his mind, "we'll be fine."

Hook took a deep breath and walked quickly over to Emma. "What happened?"

"You left Henry and Lily alone?!"

"They said they would be alright without me!"

Emma only shook her head and looked at Mary Margaret. She placed her hand on Mary Margaret's forehead and took a deep breath. Hook watched as she closed her eyes, as if she was focusing on something else. Hook looked at Mary Margaret, waiting for a reaction. It took about a minute for Mary Margaret to wake up. Her eyes fluttered open and Emma smiled.

"Thank goodness."

"Emma!" Mary Margaret cried. "How did you find us?"

"We'll tell you later. We need to get out of here, right now."

"But, David, he's still unconscious."

"I'll work on him. Go with Hook and get the kids. He knows the way out. Where do you want to meet?" she looked at Hook.

"Let's meet at the tree house."

"Alright, David and I will meet you guys there," she looked back at Mary Margaret. "Whatever you do, make sure the shadow does not touch Henry."

Mary Margaret nodded and stood up. Hook politely, but firmly took her arm and guided her back to the alcove. They barely made it to the alcove before Mary Margaret gasped.

"What? What is it?" Hook asked.

"Regina, they have Regina!" she cried.

"We'll find her, don't worry!"

He turned to the alcove and stepped inside. He saw a weeping Lily huddled in the corner.

"Where's Henry?"

"He took him! They left!"

"What do you mean he took him?"

"The shadow found us. Henry said he was able to see Peter Pan in the room the entire time! We didn't realize what he was doing until the last minute, so we couldn't get out in time! Peter found us. Henry and I tried to run, but Peter somehow held me back while taking Henry with him!"

"Do you know where they went?"

"No, all I know is that Peter went inside of Henry's body. I didn't know he could do it more than once."

Hook stepped back. He regained his composure and held out his hand. "We need to go. We need to find them."

"What about Emma?" he watched as Lily wiped the tears from her eyes.

"She'll catch up with us."

Lily nodded and ran to Mary Margaret and Hook. Together the three made their way to the exit. Hook led them to the staircase Henry and Lily had seen previously. Together, they ventured back into the jungle.


	16. Round One -Takeoff

Chapter 16: Round One -Takeoff

David:

He heard faint sobbing at first, but eventually his senses came to him. It took him a few tries to fully open his eyes and look into the crying eyes of his daughter.

"David?" Emma choked back her tears, trying to regain her composure.

"What -what happened?" he croaked. After being unconscious, he suddenly realized after everything was coming back to him, for so long, he was glad to have his voice back.

"Peter Pan, he took Henry, and Mary Margaret and Hook are out to find him," Emma explained as she sniffled and wiped her tears away. "I told them that I'd wake you up. We have to meet them at the Mermaids' Lagoon as soon as possible."

At the mention of Mary Margaret's name, David sat up, feeling much better than before. _Strange. _

"How exactly did you wake me up? Before I slipped, it seemed as if every bone in my body had shattered."

"It took a while; it's been almost twenty minutes since the others left. I tried waking you up the same way I did with Mary Margaret, but there was more damage done to you, so I channeled my energy to you through your heart."

"Then you have no energy left to do anything," David observed.

"I'll be fine," Emma reassured him by showing the smallest of smiles.

"Alright then," David said. Emma stood up and held out her hand to help her father to his feet. "Let's go."

Emma turned to find the exit, but her eyes suddenly darted to Ariel. The girl had never moved from her spot. When David stood, he wouldn't have noticed Ariel if Emma had not been staring at her.

"Who's this?" he asked Emma.

"Ariel, she's the one that brought us here. She betrayed us," Emma said bitterly.

"It's wasn't my fault," Ariel's voice was barely audible. "Peter Pan promised me."

"And, do you really think he'll bring your parents back? Do you really think he'll bring your whole family back to life?"

"No, I know now that he won't."

"Good," Emma sighed. She continued to walk forward, but David pulled her back.

"Are we going to leave her here?" he asked.

"That's exactly my plan," Emma said.

"Can you bring my parents back?" Ariel asked, finally looking up at Emma.

David could see in Ariel's eyes that Emma was the silver lining.

"I've never brought dead people back to life, nor do I plan to," Emma retorted.

"But if you were given the chance, would you try it?" Ariel had a pleading voice.

"You can't be trusted," Emma said.

"We can't just leave her here," David tried to point out. "She didn't know that Peter Pheadlined to her."

Emma looked at her father, and then back at Ariel. She sighed and hung her head before turning to look at David once more. "We'll take her, but you're in change of her."

David nodded. "Fair enough."

He motioned for Ariel to follow them to the exit, but she stopped him. "You guys need a way out of Neverland, right?"

"Yeah," he answered while pulling Emma back.

"Lily told me where to find these magic beans a while ago."

Emma walked up and stood next to David. "Well, where are they?"

"She said there's a hidden supply in...she said something about Link knowing where they are."

"That doesn't answer the question," Emma's frustrations were growing.

"That's all I remember her telling me," Ariel hung her head.

"If this Link is the only one who knows where the magic beans are, shouldn't we find him?" David suggested.

"I don't see why not," Emma agreed.

Emma, David, and Ariel trooped out of the lair and into the jungle.

Mary Margaret:

Lily led the group back to the abandoned treehouse.

"You lived in this thing?" Mary Margaret asked as she walked around and inspected the damage.

"It was a lot better before Ariel releasto that star, trust me," Lily sighed. "It looks like I'll be finding somewhere new to live after all of this is over."

Mary Margaret turned and looked at the girl. "Where did you live before you came here?"

"There was this Indian camp up on a hill..."

Mary Margaret tuned out the rest of the girl's words as she thought to herself. _Her whole entire family's been killed, murdered. Shus must be the only surviving member._

"Lass it won't help if you keep staring out like that," she felt a hand on her shoulder, bringing her back to reality. "I believe Lily had a reason to bring us back here."

"Yeah," Mary Margaret watched the little girl scramble around the tree house. "Ariel, Henry, and I went to Pixie Hollow a few nights ago to find some left over pixie dust. Help me look and see if it's still here."

Mary Margaret only needed to be told once. The three fanned out across the tree house in search for the pixie dust.

"Why do we need pixie dust? It's only useful for flying, right?" Mary Margaret asked.

"That's exactly what Henry said," Lily smiled.

"I always thought it was different from fairy dust."

"If anything, it's more powerful than fairy dust," Hook chipped in.

"We need fairy dust because for one thing, it'll help remove the shadow from Henry's body," Lily informed Mary Margaret.

"And, how exactly is that going to happen?"

"It's not the easiest thing to explain, but, it worked with Baelfire, so I'm hoping it'll work with Henry."

"What happened with Baelfire when he was here?" Mary Margaret asked.

"Pretty much the same thing that's happening to Henry, but it didn't get as ugly."

"Well, when we find the pixie dust, what are we going to do?"

"We find Henry, of course."

"What about the others? Emma? David? We can't just leave them."

"They'll catch up. The most important thing to do right now is to save Henry," Lily said firmly.

Henry:

_What's going on?_

The only thing he could feel was the shadow taking control of his body.

The only thing he could see was the jungle flying past him.

The only thing he could understand was the fact that his life was near its end.

* * *

"Will you come with me?"

"Do I have any other choice?"

"Not really, no."

"Then, I guess I don't see any other way out."

* * *

**Short chapter, I know :( **

**Then again...pretty much every single chapter is short...**


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